Hello all,

As we've become more used to things due to the coronavirus, we've made a few changes to how one of our key initiatives function. The NCMM's community grants usually consist of a series of day-long in-person meetings in the awarded communities. These meetings serve as an opportunity for NCMM staff to experience the communities as they are, as well as get a chance to meet with those involved on the grantee side of things. While unable to travel this year, we've gotten to virtually meet our newest cohort of grantees who have begun their work as part of the Community Mobility Design Challenge 2020. The NCMM has moved like others to the realm of digital meetings and collaboration.

While two 8-hour meetings over the course of three days is doable in-person, NCMM staff will be conducting eight two-hour meetings remotely over the next three months. Using video conferencing and online platforms for data collection and organization (think big sticky notes!), we at the NCMM are aiming for a seamless transition until nationwide travel is more sensible. We're utilizing Zoom for audio and visual communication while at the same time working within Miro to track and organize data as a virtual whiteboard. For team members who may not have at home internet, we've offered WiFi hotspots as a way to get them connected online. While potentially new software for some team members, NCMM staff have provided tutorials in both. We're excited to get started and to see the mobility solutions these teams develop.

In other news, on Oct. 13, the NCMM held its second Mobility Management Champions Connections Webinar, convening mobility managers from all across the country to learn from each other and to share their recent successes and challenges. The webinar hosted two leaders of the Virginia Association of Mobility Managers (VAMM) for conversation about the creation and operation of the statewide mobility manager network. In addition, a key part of the meeting was the breakout session, in which attendees interested in subjects such as innovation and outreach gathered to learn from others' experiences and to share their own.

Whether physically in-person or not, there's plenty to be discovered, shared, and created. I'll keep you posted right here - in next month's newsletter.

Take Care,

Kirby Wilhelm

(202) 489-6020

The Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA), on behalf of the NCMM, is soliciting proposals from qualified firms or individuals to create an online module on the topic of "creating formal and informal agreements among partners." Consultants qualified to submit proposals in response to this solicitation include individuals, partnerships, for-profit or non-profit corporations, units of state or local government, and accredited institutions of higher education. Questions from consultants are due Nov. 9, and proposals are due Nov. 13. The final deliverables are due Feb. 28, 2021. A full copy of the RFP is available here.

NCMM hosted its second Mobility Management Connections Conversations meeting via Zoom on Oct. 13. The meeting featured Chris Blankenship and Katherine Newman from the Virginia Association of Mobility Managers, who discussed how they built mobility management networks within their state and offered lessons for mobility managers looking to complete similar efforts in their own states. A breakout into smaller virtual rooms with dedicated topics occurred. Breakout rooms included: vehicle coordination, funding, partnerships, volunteer drivers, outreach, and innovation.

The first iteration of MMC Conversations centered around the impacts of COVID-19 on mobility management, new roles of mobility management practitioners, and how mobility management professionals are meeting the needs of our communities. You can access the archived conversation here.

Four teams have started their work as part of the NCMM's Community Mobility Design Challenge 2020. Over the next three months, the teams of Botetourt County Va., North Charleston S.C., Perry County Mo., and Ware County Ga., will each take part in eight remote meetings hosted by NCMM staff. These meetings will guide the teams through the human-centered design process, eventually crafting a targeted mobility solution for an issue in their community. As the teams progress, updates will be provided on the NCMM website. You can learn more about NCMM's grants on our Community Grants page.

The second episode of NCMM's Mobility Lines Podcast is a discussion between Dr. Judy Shanley, Jerom Theunissen, and Fred Roberage of Easterseals New Hampshire. The discussion focused upon the efforts of the New Hampshire State Coordinating Council for Community Transportation (SCC), discussing its history, current initiatives, and lessons for states looking to establish similar efforts for promoting mobility management in their states. Access it here.

If you are functioning as a mobility management professional, regardless of your job title, we're asking you to share your job description. NCMM currently keeps a compilation of job descriptions of mobility management practitioners on its website and would like to update it. These postings help to suggest requirements for future mobility management jobs, as well as help determine the various responsibilities of those in working in the realm of mobility management.

If you'd like to share a mobility management job description, please email Kirby Wilhelm at [email protected] with the description attached as a PDF.

The NCMM is looking for bloggers for our Mobility Lines blog. Qualified applicants can include those working in mobility management or writing about transportation. Bloggers would be paid a fair rate for their work. For application requirements, visit this page.

Join the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for an informative 90-minute webinar to learn about several groundbreaking new documents created by the Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility (CCAM).

FTA will provide an overview of the recently submitted CCAM Report to the President (Sep. 30, 2020).

In addition, FTA will introduce three tools designed to support human service transportation coordination:

FTA will also provide an update on the CCAM's Cost Allocation Technology for Non-Emergency Medical Transportation effort. The National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM) will share observations on how stakeholders are using these new CCAM resources to improve transportation coordination in communities across America. The webinar will wrap up with a question and answer session.

The National Center for Applied Transit Technology has released a new best practices guide on transit technology and two new white papers on subjects pertaining to zero-emission vehicles. You can find them below.

The AARP has released a report, "Volunteer Driver Insurance in the Age of Ridehailing" discussing the current insurance challenges of volunteer driver programs and their drivers. With private transportation network companies (TNCs) impacting insurance requirements of rideshare entities, volunteer driver programs have been left in a precarious position. Of value for mobility managers working with (or managing) volunteer driver programs, this report frames the issue and offers a roadmap to get changemakers and the insurance industry on-board with removing these barriers.

A new e-learning course from CTAA has recently launched. "Understanding Passengers Who Have Experienced Trauma" was created for public transportation, NEMT, specialized transportation, and other drivers who interact with the general public on a daily basis. Its purpose is to educate drivers on the impacts that past traumatic events can have on individuals and how those impacts may play out in a transportation setting.

You can take this free course here and can access CTAA's full suite of online courses at their Online Training Center.

Every Thursday at 10 a.m. EST, the TRB will be virtually hosting a scholar to share their high-quality research in this field. The series features a broad topic coverage from planning, behaviors to operations, and intends to engage audiences both within and beyond the transportation community. Thirty minutes of in-depth and inclusive discussions between the speaker and audiences will follow. To register and find out more information, visit the Emerging Mobility Systems and Services website.

In addition to the opportunities listed below, find out more on our Grant page.

HHS - Health Resources & Services Administration

Deadline: Nov. 16

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Deadline: Nov. 24

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.