Hello newsletter readers,

March is Women's History Month. This gives us a chance to focus on the importance and significance of women's stories and lives, and reflect on the impact that women have had on transportation.

Leaders like the women who led the Montgomery bus boycott during the struggle for bus desegregation, the first women transit operators like Mary Wallace of Chicago and Barbara Stevens of Kalamazoo, and Nuria Fernandez, the first female FTA administrator, should all be remembered among many others.

More women have joined the transportation industry since these trailblazing service designers, operators, and agency administrators, yet women are still quite underrepresented in the industry.

Given that more women ride transit than men; it is only logical that they should have significant representation in our industry's leadership. Increasing the recruitment and advancement of women will ensure that needs important to women, such as improved security at transit stops, late-night drop-off flexibility, easier transit access for mothers with strollers or carts, and more multi-stop tickets to accommodate child care drop-offs on the way to work, are considered at the beginning of service (re)design. Planning for service considerations like these will lead directly to better and more equitable service for all, simply because transit could become more affordable and convenient, as pointed out in this article.

A toolkit for bolstering the role of women in transit and related industries was shared by the Women's Equity Center a few years back. The initiatives it includes are still valid; steps like establishing inclusive application processes and creating equitable training procedures help to welcome all into transit.

My call to you (especially towards you, male readers) is to ponder how well your transit planning and operations reflect the needs and perspectives of women and how you can help to facilitate better female representation there.

Be well,

Kirby Wilhelm

(202) 489-6020

Here's the poll results from February's Newsletter on your work on active transportation.

Judy Shanley, Ph.D. has served as the Easterseals Director of NCMM since its inception in 2013. Throughout this time, she has been the NCMM Regional Liaison, providing technical assistance to FTA Regions 1 and 5. She has enjoyed a long history of working on mobility and transportation topics during her 12-year career at Easterseals and comes to the transportation sector from a long human services and education background. You can read more about Judy here.

NCMM is excited to announce our 2022 Mobility Management Forum agenda in Louisville, Ky., on Thursday, May 12, during CTAA's EXPO 2022. The Forum gives the opportunity to for mobility managers to meet others from their FTA regions & learn skills and improve their knowledge on key mobility management topics. Forum sessions include Making the Case with Data, Integrating Mobility Management into Your Community, and Funding Mobility Management Activities. The day will end with the 2022 Mobility Management Unconference, giving attendees the opportunity to discuss hot topics in technology, mobility management strategies, and whatever else is on your mind! You can find the full details of the forum, including speakers, on our Mobility Management Forum page and you can register for the Forum here. We're looking forward to gathering with you in-person!

NCMM is soliciting posters for the 2022 Mobility Management Poster Session to be held at EXPO 2022 in Louisville, Ky., on May 11 and 12 during three Tradeshow sessions. Presenters who exhibit their posters on their mobility management work during the Tradeshow will be rewarded with a $500 stipend upon completion of EXPO. The application deadline is April 8. You can find out more about requirements and how to apply visit the Mobility Management Poster Session page.

NCMM wants you to submit Promising Practices from your community! A database of current and recent mobility management practices from across the country is in the works, showcasing implemented programs and services that have introduced a new or enhanced method of delivering mobility management and improved people's ability to travel around their communities. If you're interested in sharing Promising Practices you know about, you can fill out the survey found here.

NCMM is pleased to release the Missouri State of the State Report. The Missouri Transportation Task Force with a broad range of partnering agencies, who initiated the Statewide Mobility Management Project in October 2019 is working diligently to complete their goal of improving travel options for residents and visitors of the state. The profile outlines the state's current mobility management activities and provides recommendations of best mobility management practices. You can find the full report here.

The first NCMM - MMC Conversation of 2022 will occur on April 21 as a Pre-Earth Day celebration. Join us in the conversation on the topic of innovation out of necessity with Mobility Management with Twist - Resource Sharing. In areas where you may have limited resources (drivers, vehicles, materials, and volunteers) and little budget, agencies have to be creative. Learn how to develop partnerships, share cost to, and think outside of the box to ensure service. You can join for the conversation on April 21 at 12:30 ET here.

NCMM's current cohort of four Community Mobility Design Challenge grantees will be presenting their chosen solution concept on April 28 at 2:00 pm ET. The hour long event will showcase the great work that the teams have been up to, leading to their sharing of their team's chosen transportation solution concept as they move into the Learning Launch phase. For those interested in hearing more from the grantees, you can register for the event here.

The National Center for Applied Transit Technology has two upcoming events. The first is a webinar focused on partnerships between universities and emerging transit technology, to be held on April 19 at 2:00 p.m. ET. The second, a workshop on free GIS tools for analysis and mapmaking, will begin on May 12 at 9:00 a.m. ET. You can find out more and register for the "Free GIS Tools for Transit Analysis & Map Making" workshop here and the "University-Transit Agency Partnerships to Explore Emerging Technology" workshop here .

The National Aging and Disability Transportation Center has released its 2021 FTA Section 5310 Compendium, a collection of informational briefs highlighting the various uses of FTA Section 5310 Funding, implemented by human services agencies and transportation programs across the United States. Topics include Mobility Management and FTA Section 5310 & Travel Training under Mobility Management and FTA Section 5310, among others. You can visit the compendium here.

FTA's Transit Workforce Center recently launched the American Transit Training Apprenticeship Innovators Network, or ATTAIN initiative, to focus on developing apprenticeships for frontline positions. Transit agencies interested in starting or expanding an apprenticeship program will connect with transit leaders running successful programs and advance their efforts to bring in new talent. You can find out more about the initiative and apply for the initiative here.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is hosting listening sessions centered on non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT). Two sessions have occurred, with two more public sessions to be held on April 7 and 13. You can find out more about the sessions, and register for them, here.

FTA is currently in the process of preparing for the 2020 Census changes and how those changes will impact FTA grant programs. FTA has developed this webpage that includes information related to the implementation of the Census changes. Currently, there is a Jan. 26, 2022 archived webinar presentation and implementation schedule for future webinars and resources available on the webpage. More information will be posted soon.

The FTA has updated its Frequently Asked Questions on use of formula funds for operating expenses in response to the covid-19 pandemic. Although formula funds may not be used to reimburse COVID-19-related operating expenses at 100-percent federal share for activities occurring after Jan. 21, 2022, CARES, CRRSAA, and ARP funds remain available at 100-percent federal share for these operating expenses. FTA also updated 16 COVID-related FAQs.

The U.S. DOT has released Charging Forward: A Toolkit for Planning and Funding Rural Electric Mobility Infrastructure. The toolkit is intended for a variety of rural stakeholders, including States, local communities, Tribes, transportation providers, nonprofits, businesses, and individuals. The toolkit focuses on infrastructure for light-duty electric passenger vehicles (such as sedans, sport utility vehicles, and pickup trucks), but also addresses funding opportunities and planning considerations for other types of electric vehicles. You can read the toolkit and find out more about it here.

Registration is now open for the TRANSED: Mobility, Accessibility & Demand Response Transportation Conference. This virtual event runs Monday, Sep. 12 through Friday, Sep. 16, 2022 and aims to describe current global research, services to improve mobility and accessibility for individuals with disabilities and for older adults, and best practices in providing demand responsive transportation (paratransit). You can read more about the conference and register for the conference here.

The Transportation Research Board will host a webinar on Tuesday, April 5, 2022 from 11:30-1:00 pm Eastern that will identify key components of inclusive mobility. Presenters will examine systems around the world that have successfully implemented coordinated approaches to integrated mobility. NCMM's Judy Shanley will be facilitating the question and answer session to follow the presentations. You can register and find out more about this webinar here.

What happens after a transit vehicle isn't in use anymore?

This article showcases a few ways train cars have been repurposed after retired.

Mobility Management News is the newsletter of the National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM), which is operated jointly by the Community Transportation Association, the American Public Transportation Association and Easter Seals under a cooperative agreement with the Federal Transit Administration.