National RTAP eNews - April 2, 2020

eNews - April 2, 2020

National RTAP is a program of the Federal Transit Administration dedicated to creating rural and tribal transit solutions through free training materials, technical assistance, and partner collaboration.

First ProcurementPRO 2.0 State Portal Launched by North Carolina DOT

Samantha Bryant Green, Procurement Officer for North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT)-Public Transportation Division is always looking to streamline processes in innovative ways. When she began working for NCDOT in 2017, she was tasked with approving every procurement for over 80 transit agencies in the state that receive Federal Transit Administration (FTA) 5311 funding, including everything from office supplies, office functionality, to vehicles and vehicle parts.

She relished the opportunity to make the ProcurementPRO 2.0 web app even more convenient for her subrecipients, through the creation of a North Carolina State portal. This was the first state portal developed using NRTAP’s updated ProcurementPRO 2.0 web app, and she was amazed by how smooth the process was.

Upcoming National RTAP Twitter Chat on Climate Change and Transit

Please join us for a #ClimateTransit Twitter chat on April 21, 2020, from 2:00-3:00 PM ET to discuss how climate change could impact rural communities and transit agencies. We will also discuss how transit agencies can prepare for potential effects of a changing climate, as well as tackle their emissions to mitigate potential climate impacts. The chat will be moderated by Josh Goldman, Associate Director, Climate Nexus. Panelists are Jimmy O’Dea, Senior Vehicles Analyst, Union of Concerned Scientists, and Camron Gorguinpour, Senior Global Manager, Electric Mobility, World Resources Institute. RSVP to [email protected].

Climate Change and Transit Twitter Chat Infographic

RSVP

Resources and Events

Join Us Today for a Tribal Transit Manager Peer Roundtable - COVID-19 Focus

Please join us today, April 2, 2020 from 3:00-4:00 PM ET for an informal discussion of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) issues affecting tribal transit managers. Ask questions of your peers and share your experience and lessons learned. For more information, click here.

Summaries of State RTAP Manager and Transit Manager Peer Roundtables, COVID-19 Focus, Available

National RTAP staff facilitated Peer Roundtables for State RTAP Managers and Transit Managers on March 24 and 26, 2020. RTAP Managers discussion included how states are tracking service changes and complying with drug and alcohol testing regulations. Read the summary of the State RTAP Peer Roundtable.

Upcoming National RTAP/MTAP/FDOT Webinar on Vehicle Specifications

On April 22, 2020, 2:00-3:00 PM ET, join AASHTO’s Multi-State Transit Technical Assistance Program (MTAP) and National RTAP for a webinar with Carlton Allen, Florida DOT’s Transit Research Inspection Procurement Services (TRIPS) Program Manager about the state purchasing process. Robert E. Westbrook, Assistant State Transit Manager at Florida DOT, will moderate and provide a state’s perspective. Register for the webinar.

National RTAP and NCMM Cost Allocation Webinar Recording Available

National RTAP and National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM) co-hosted a webinar on March 25, 2020 about the fundamentals of two-variable cost allocation, how to use National RTAP's Cost Allocation Calculator, and ways to utilize the results for data reporting, pricing, and planning of services.

Presenters were Amy Conrick, Director of NCMM, Todd Hansen, Rich Garrity, of RLS & Associates, Inc., of the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI). View the webinar recording and download the presentation slides.

Two Weeks Left to Submit Student Papers and Essays to RIBTC

The deadline to submit student papers for the 24th National Conference on Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation (RIBTC), to be held October 18-21, 2020, in Charleston, SC, is April 15, 2020. Students can submit their work to the Graduate Student Research Paper Contest and the Undergraduate Student Essay Contest and be eligible for a full scholarship to present their paper at the conference.

U.S. DOT and FTA Updates

FTA has extended application deadlines for their competitive grants by 30 days on March 27, 2020. The new deadline for applying for Accelerating Innovative Mobility (AIM) is May 18, 2020, Helping Obtain Prosperity for Everyone Program (HOPE) is June 3, 2020, and Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program is April 29, 2020. Access all open FTA grant notices.

U.S. DOT's Build America Bureau extended the comment period of their Request for Information for the Regional Infrastructure Accelerator Program to May 1, 2020.

A combined FTA February/March 2020 Transit Safety and Oversight Spotlight has been published. The issue includes guidance for use 5311 funds for COVID-19-related expenses, a data spotlight on transit vehicle speed and collisions, and notice that the FTA Drug and Alcohol Program National Conference has been postponed.

U.S. DOT announced a new competitive grant solicitation for for four new University Transportation Research Centers. Funded centers will focus on areas including highly automated systems, communications technology and e-commerce effects on travel demand, automated vehicles and mobility for people with disabilities, and changing public transportation travel trends. Applicants must apply through Grants.gov by May 29, 2020.

FTA announced $20,355,847 in grant awards for Integrated Mobility Innovation FY2019 Selected Projects on March 16, 2020. Funding will help rural transit agencies centralize dispatch, fleet management, call-taking and payment across providers, develop mobility-on-demand services to meet non-emergency medical transportation needs, build an online portal for coordinating rural transportation services, and other innovations. The Shared-Use Mobility Center will provide technical assistance to grantees.

Opportunities

The Administration for Community Living is soliciting applications for funding for the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERC) Program: RERC on Physical Access and Transportation. Funding can be used for access to safe, accessible, and usable transportation options for people with disabilities. The closing date for applications to Grants.Gov is Apr 28, 2020.

TCRP is conducting a project on prioritization of public transportation investments. They are seeking feedback on key needs for transit prioritization. They also want to identify State DOTs, MPOs, or transit agencies interested in sharing their experience with transit prioritization.

Sasaki Foundation Design Grants can be used for tackling transit inequities. They are seeking solutions for existing challenges to reliable transit, strengthening public-private partnerships in expanding transportation choices and leveraging technology to provide greater access to transportation options by eliminating barriers, and methods for leveraging private-sector innovation to increase access to transportation services for all communities. The deadline to apply is May 8, 2020.

National Community Care Corps has issued a request for proposals for Innovative Local Models to Provide Volunteer Non-Medical Assistance to Older Americans, Persons with Disabilities, and Family Caregivers. Applications are due on April 3, 2020.

The deadline for the N-CATT Strike Team applications has been postponed until April 15, 2020.

The AARP Purpose Prize deadline was extended to April 30, 2020.

The U.S. Census is enabling people to enter information online.

Webinars and Training

NCMM has added new e-learning courses to their offerings, including:

Cost Allocation Techniques for Community Transportation
The Role of Advocacy in Mobility Management
Understanding the Complete Trip

The AASHTO Transportation Curriculum Coordination Council (T3) is offering the following courses for free through May 8, 2020:

National Transit Institute is offering the following online course for free: Environmental and Sustainability Management Systems (ESMS) Introductory Online Course. Modules are derived from FTA ESMS Training and Technical Assistance Institute for Transit Agencies.

Q'Straint is offering Securement 101: Basic Wheelchair Securement Training free through April 30, 2020.

The Public Health Foundation offers free COVID-19 training, including courses on crisis and emergency risk communication and personal protective equipment.

Publications

NADTC published a Transportation Trends report on Mental Health and Transportation. The report describes successful mental health transportation projects implemented under the FTA Access & Mobility Partnership Grants Initiative, such as the Southern Highlands Community Mental Health Center in Illinois and the Mass Transportation Authority in Flint, Michigan.

NCHRP's Baseline Research on Allowable In-Kind and Local Match Sources documents research findings on sources of funds used to match FTA awards, with particular focus on sources of in-kind match and non-DOT federal funds. The report features a number of rural and tribal case studies, including OATs, Inc. and the San Carlo Apache Tribe.

National Center for Mobility Management has a new interactive search feature for news articles from industry sources. Readers can search by topic, author, date, and other parameters. For example, a search for coordination brought up an article about smart mobility.

The latest National Transportation Knowledge Network (NTKN) blog post, written by National RTAP and Montana DOT staff, features Minnesota DOT's Transportation Finance LibGuide.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights has published a bulletin about the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy and Novel Coronavirus. The bulletin describes how patient privacy regulations under HIPAA are balanced to ensure that appropriate uses and disclosures of the information still may be made to protect the nation’s public health and for other critical purposes. A summary of the bulletin is available.

National RTAP Distracted Driving Topic Guide Updated

The National RTAP Distracted Driving Topic Guide was updated in March 2020. Newly added resources include Louisiana Transportation Research Center's Distracted Driving: Strategies and State of the Practices, Government Fleet's How to Enforce Your Distracted Driving Policy, and Smith System's 10 Distracted Driving Statistics and Facts That All Drivers Must Know

Legislation

The federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed on March 27, 2020.

CARES provides emergency assistance and healthcare response for people and businesses affected by COVID-19. FTA will receive $25 billion for transit providers and state and local governments for operating and capital expenses, which will be distributed through FTA formulas, with an estimated $1.8 billion for rural systems under Section 5311. One of the provisions of CARES is the Paycheck Protection Program, administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA). A summary of the Paycheck Protection Program was written by the Economic Information Group.

Administration for Community Living (ACL) awarded $250 million in grants to help communities provide meals for older adults. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act, effective March 18, 2020, provided supplemental funding to states and Tribes for the nutrition services programs authorized by the Older Americans Act (which was reauthorized on March 25, 2020 as the Supporting Older Americans Act of 2020).

On March 24, 2020, FMCSA granted a waiver from certain regulations to States, CDL Holders, CLP Holders, and Interstate Drivers Operating Commercial Motor Vehicles in response to the declaration of a national emergency related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The waiver extends license validity, waives requirements for test retakes, and waives drivers from a medical examination and certification, if they have proof of a valid medical certification that was issued for a period of 90 days or longer and that expired on or after March 1, 2020. The waiver expires on June 30, 2020.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is requiring public transportation agencies to provide TSA-approved security training to employees performing security-sensitive functions. The training curriculum must teach employees how to observe, assess, and respond to terrorist-related threats and/or incidents. This rule is effective June 22, 2020. The compliance date is July 29, 2020.

NHTSA issued a proposed rule in the Federal Register on March 30, 2020 on Occupant Protection for Automated Driving Systems. The rule seeks to adapt safety requirements to vehicles with ADS that lack traditional manual controls by revising the requirements and test procedures to account for the removal of manually operated driving controls . Comments are accepted through May 29, 2020.

Research Publications about the National RTAP Cost Allocation Calculator

The following article about the National RTAP Cost Allocation Calculator was published in the Transportation Research Record: Hansen, Todd, Michael Walk, and Shuman Tan. “Application Tool for Two-Variable Cost Allocation for Small Urban, Rural, and Tribal Transit Agencies.” Transportation Research Record, (March 2020).

Todd Hanson also presented a poster on the Calculator at the TRB 2020 Conference. Neither publication is available in free full-text online, but eNews readers may request a PDF of either from the Resource Library by emailing [email protected].

Calendar of Upcoming Events

All event times listed in Eastern Time. Subtract 1 hour for Central Time, 2 for Mountain Time, 3 for Pacific Time, 4 for Alaska, and 5 for Hawaii.

U.S. Department of the Treasury and Interior

All Tribes Consultation Call: CARES Act Title VI, Coronavirus Relief Fund

April 2, 1:00-4:00 PM

Consultation Call

AARP

Coronavirus: Managing Your Money and Protecting Your Health

April 2, 1:00 PM