National RTAP eNews - December 4, 2025

eNews - December 4, 2025

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.

Newsletter Highlights

Upcoming Tribal Transit Peer Roundtable and Coaching/Mentoring LinkedIn Learnalong

Call for Participants: National RTAP Pathways to Funding Guide Workgroup

Rural iNTD Updated with 2024 Data

Presentation Slides Available for Tribal and Rural Rapid City Mini-Conference

FTA NEPA Categorical Exclusion Worksheet and Amendment to Master Agreement

Upcoming National RTAP Tribal Transit Peer Roundtable

Join us for a Tribal Transit Peer Roundtable on January 7, 2026 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET, designed to foster meaningful discussion and gather feedback directly from Tribal Nations on how transit can support broader community well-being. This session will focus on the development, sustainability, and cross-sector collaboration needed to build and maintain effective Tribal transit systems that connect with vital services.

Upcoming National RTAP LinkedIn Learnalong on Coaching and Mentoring

Join transit leaders from the National RTAP Review Board and the Transit Workforce Center (TWC) for a LinkedIn Learnalong on coaching and mentoring on January 9, 2025 from 1:00-2:00 PM ET. Participants will watch instructional videos and engage in a discussion on LinkedIn with our co-moderators on best practices and lessons learned.

RSVP

Call for Participants: Pathways to Funding: A Practical Grant Application Guide for Rural & Community Transit - National RTAP Workgroup

National RTAP is forming a new workgroup to develop a practical, user-friendly Grant Application Guide designed to support rural, Tribal, and community transportation providers applying for FTA Section 5311, Section 5310, and other local, state, and community-based grants.

This workgroup will help shape a comprehensive resource that walks applicants through every stage of the funding process—from preparing to apply and identifying community partners to understanding eligibility, timelines, and state-specific requirements. Modeled after the 5310-applicant workbook, this new guide will include best practices, checklists, examples, and strategies to strengthen competitive applications.

Please apply at this link or the QR Code above. The submission deadline is December 15, 2025.

Still Time to Register for the National RTAP Technical Assistance Conference

The 6th National RTAP Technical Assistance Conference, Wrangling Access and Mobility in Rural and Tribal Transit, will take place in Austin, Texas from December 7-10, 2025 at the Hyatt Regency Austin on 208 Barton Springs Road. View the Registration and Agenda, Vendor Prospectus, and Conference Justification Letter. We've added the Vendor Expo Exhibitor Floorplan.

Join our pre-conference sessions on Sunday, December 7 in Austin. GTFS, Cost Allocation Calculator, Website Builder, and ProcurementPRO are among the full day of hands-on training opportunities. 1:1 Technical Support is also available. Learn more on the mobile app or visit the pre-conference workshops webpage.

Please note that National RTAP offices will be closed while our staff are at the conference from December 7-10 and our Review Board Meeting on December 11-12, and may not be able to respond to any inquiries.

We are aware that spam emails are circulating to try to sell phony registration lists for our conference. National RTAP never shares or sells our registration lists. Please do not respond to these and please delete them.

Upcoming National RTAP Events

National RTAP's next State RTAP Manager Peer Roundtable will be held on January 28, 2026, from 2:00-3:00 PM ET. This is an informal meeting for State RTAP Managers to discuss issues of interest to them. Topics will include RTAP training for transit board members, State RTAP Communities of Practice websites, State RTAP newsletters, State RTAP conferences, and others.

Note that this session is only for State RTAP Managers. Stay tuned for other upcoming Peer Roundtables.

The National RTAP Books in Transit Discussion Group selected The New Life by Nobel Prize winning author Orhan Pamuk as our next book to read. In the book, a student takes bus trips in pursuit of a vision. Our next meeting will be on February 19, 2026 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET.

The next Learn About TACL training will take place on February 23, 2026 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET. The session will instruct on how to use TACL, The Transportation Technical Assistance Coordination Library, and include a Resource Feature by the Transit Workforce Center (TWC).

Technology Tools Office Hours

National RTAP offers free, live GTFS Builder support on Thursdays from 1:00-1:30 PM ET. Use this link to join. National RTAP also offers live technical support for Website Builder on Tuesdays from 1:00-1:30 PM ET. Share your screen, ask questions, and get help. Use this link to join – no need to register for either session.

National RTAP Cited in TCRP Report on Paratransit and On-Demand Services

TCRP's Operational and Service Factors When Integrating or Consolidating ADA Paratransit and On-Demand Services provides information on integrating or consolidating paratransit service with on-demand microtransit. The report states that TriTown Connector in rural Massachusetts uses National RTAP guidelines in their operator training program.

National RTAP Participation in Upcoming Conferences

We're presenting, exhibiting, and participating at the following conferences and meetings:

TRB Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, January 11-15
Intertribal Transportation Association (ITA) Annual Meeting, Oklahoma City, OK (formerly October 27-29, now January 27-29)
Amalgamated Transit Union Louisiana Legislative Conference, Baton Rouge, LA, February 28 - March 1

National RTAP Rural iNTD Updated

The Rural Integrated National Transit Database (iNTD ) has been updated with 2024 data on Section 5311 subrecipients. Users can download Rural iNTD data from 2007 to 2024 to understand the rural transit operations across a state or throughout the U.S. Use the built-in performance measures, create customized reports, and run a peer analysis to compare systems for performance measurement and benchmarking.

Presentations Posted for National RTAP Tribal and Rural Transit Mini-Conference in Rapid City

We posted presentation slides for the National RTAP Tribal and Rural Transit Mini-Conference, held in Rapid City, South Dakota on October 14-16, 2025. Presentations included planning, intercity bus, NEPA, and other topics.

Summary Posted for Mobility Management Peer Roundtable on Travel Training

On November 12, 2025, we held a Mobility Management Roundtable: Guidance & Tips for Rural Travel Training, a practical discussion on designing and delivering effective travel training in rural communities. Participants learned tips for tailoring instruction to older adults, individuals with disabilities, and new riders, and explored creative, low-cost strategies for outreach and engagement. Read the summary.

Updated National RTAP Resource Catalog

National RTAP updated its Resource Catalog, which contains titles, links, descriptions, and dates for all resources that National RTAP publishes, plus appendices for Resources by Roles. Users can click on resources to download them, order them to be shipped, and/or access them through eLearning.

Maryland Transit Update Newsletter Cites National RTAP

The November 2025 issue of the Maryland Transit Update, a publication jointly sponsored by the Maryland RTAP and the Transportation Association of Maryland, included the article Fall for New National RTAP Resources on pages 10-11. The article included our Compendium of Best Practices, 5310 Programs List, and more. Our resources were also listed in an article on pages 24-25 - Procurement Compliance: What You Need to Know and the Transit Bookshelf & Toolbox on page 50.

User Guide to Resource Share 2.0 Updated

We updated our User Guide to Resource Share 2.0 with additional screenshots and tips to help users best navigate and utilize our online Resource Library.

U.S. DOT and FTA Updates

FTA launched a new worksheet to help project sponsors provide sufficient documentation to support FTA in making a categorical exclusion determination for certain construction projects to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). FTA's new uniform Categorical Exclusion Worksheet will streamline the documentation process.

FTA issued an Amendment to its Master Agreement to remove a provision relating to immigration enforcement. U.S. DOT will not include any grant conditions requiring cooperation with federal civil immigration enforcement in any grant agreements presented to recipients for signature on or after November 4, 2025.

FTA published its list of awardees for its FY25 FTA Bus and Low- and No-Emission Grant Awards. Rural and Tribal awards include funding for new transit centers, bus shelters, and maintenance facilities, expansion of bus facilities, upgrading vehicle technology, and more.

U.S. DOT published design ideas for developing an advanced female crash test dummy, the THOR-05F. The dummy will be outfitted with more than 150 sensors, enabling it to collect three times more injury measurements than current dummies.

Webinars and Training

The National Transit Institute (NTI) has opened its Winter 2026 courses, which we have listed in the Upcoming Events section below. Courses include Project Management for Transit Professionals, Violence in the Transit Workplace, and others.

FHWA offers online training through its Center for Local Aid Support. Courses include Grant Applications 101 Training for Local Agencies and Tribes, Integrating Project Bundling into Organizational Practices Training for Local Agencies and Tribes, Tribal Transportation Program 101 Training, and others.

Publications

TCRP's Planning and Operations Initiatives to Support Nighttime Transit Ridership includes a survey of transit agencies plus case examples that examine strategies related to safety, operations, resource allocation, ridership trends, and partnerships. Transit agencies interviewed have implemented bus bridges, owl service, subsidized transportation network company trips, and other services.

The Regional Plan Association's (RPA) Reduced Fares: Lessons from Across the Country explores the reduced fare programs across the country that help people whose economic circumstances make paying for public transit a financial burden. It draws from interviews with transit workers, advocates, and experts to provide insights and lessons on how programs are approaching enrollment to make transit more affordable for their riders.

NCHRP's Census Data Field Guide for Transportation Applications is a comprehensive field guide for transportation practitioners on how to effectively utilize census data to support transportation analyses, including rural data.

A new Mobility Matters podcast episode features a conversation with Christi Williams, Mobility Navigator for the Southwestern Oklahoma Development Authority, and Angela Plumley, Executive Director for the Department of Transportation at Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, about the transit agency's challenges and successes.

Databases and Tools

Earth 3D displays a map pin at a particular place or address, such as a landmark, business, geographic feature, or town. The tool allows users to navigate and explore geographic data on a 3D globe using a web browser.

The Elder Index from the Gerontology Institute at The University of Massachusetts Boston enables users to find the cost of transportation for older adults based on their geographic area and demographic data.

The University of Michigan Institute for Social Research's National Neighborhood Data Archive (NaNDA) is a data archive with coverage dating back to 1981, containing measures of the physical, economic, demographic, and social environment. Datasets cover all or most of the U.S. (including rural areas) and represent a set of measures on a single topic of interest, including public transit and transportation. Users can also search the University's National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging for the term transportation.

The University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study (HRS) is a longitudinal panel study that surveys a representative sample of approximately 20,000 people in the U.S. A search in the HRS Bibliography on transportation displays journal articles, reports, and other documents that use HRS data, some of which are full-text, such as Transportation, Quality of Life, and Older Adults.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) released its monthly update to its National Transportation Statistics (NTS). Updated statistics include travel time index, transit safety and property damage, and other updates.

Opportunities

The Building Access to Tribal Energy Resilience (BAxTER) funding opportunity supports building Tribal partnerships and improving energy reliability and affordability through networking activities, Tribal energy resilience project development, and Tribal workforce development.

The Propane Education & Research Council is accepting applications for its Propane Autogas Vehicle Inspection Grant Program through December 19, 2025. This program funds educational facilities in the U.S. through equipment and instructor training.

Legislation

The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service issued guidance for workers eligible to claim overtime compensation for the tax year 2025. For tax years 2025 through 2028, individuals who receive qualified overtime compensation may deduct the pay that exceeds their regular rate of pay (generally, the half portion of time-and-a-half) required by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Certain employees are exempt from the rules on overtime.

An Executive Order on November 24, 2025 launched the Genesis Mission as a coordinated national effort to implement AI‑accelerated innovation and discovery. The Secretary of Energy will be responsible for implementing it within the Department of Energy.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that proposes to eliminate interconnection regulations regarding Internet Protocol (IP)-based networks, and seeks comment on ways the FCC can facilitate a successful transition to all-IP interconnection for voice services. Comments are due by December 26, 2025.

The FCC also seeks comments on its Build America reforms that would remove regulatory burdens from towers and other wireless infrastructure. Comments are due December 31, 2025.

NHTSA published a final rule in 2024 to establish the recording period in its Event Data Recorder (EDR) regulation. The final rule amended the pre-crash data capture requirements of EDRs by increasing the recording duration and sample rate from 5 seconds at 2 Hz to 20 seconds at 10 Hz. NHTSA is proposing to delay the compliance date from September 1, 2027, to September 1, 2028, and implement a phase-in period for EDRs to meet the new requirements. Comments must be received by December 29, 2025.

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 or 6 for Hawaii (depending on daylight savings time).

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

December 4, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

ITS America

Scaling Success - Partnerships, Governance, and Market Readiness Webinar

December 4, 1:00-2:00 PM

New

Native Learning Center

How to Make a Go/Strategic No Decision for Grant Opportunities Webinar

December 4, 2:00-3:30 PM

National RTAP

6th National RTAP Technical Assistance Conference - Wrangling Access and Mobility in Rural and Tribal Transit

Austin, TX, December 7-10

New

American Public Transportation Association (APTA)

APTA Safety and Risk Management Seminar

San Diego, CA, December 7-10

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

December 9, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National Safety Council (NSC)

Frontiers of Technology - Safer People, Safer Roads Webinar

December 9, 1:00-2:00 PM

New

Disability Employment Technical Assistance Center (DETAC)

Employment and Empowerment Through Sustainable Partnerships Webinar

December 9, 3:00 PM

New

U.S. DOT

United States Department of Transportation Advisory Board Public Meeting

Washington, DC and Virtual, December 10, 10:30 AM

New

WeCAN Rural Peer Learning Network

Continuing the Conversation About Accessible Rural Communities Roundtable

December 10, 1:00-2:00 PM

New

TripSpark

Modernizing Mobility: Real Stories of Technology Adoption Webinar

December 10, 1:00-2:00 PM

Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE)

Hydrogen Procurement 101 Webinar

December 10, 1:30 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

December 11, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National Safety Council (NSC)

TechHub Webinar Series: Safety by the Numbers- Tracking KPIs That Power Performance and Profit

December 11, 2:00 PM

New

Minnesota Towards Zero Deaths

Cannabis Education and Prevention Efforts in Traffic Safety Webinar

December 11, 2:00-3:15 PM

New

Rural Organizing

Hosting a Mutual Aid Event in Your Rural or Small Town Webinar

December 11, 6:00 PM

New

University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies

Preparing Transportation Professionals for AI Integration Webinar

December 15, 1:00-2:30 PM

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

December 16, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

TRB

Connected Mobility Futures—Integrating Transit and Technology Webinar

December 16, 1:00-2:30 PM

New

TRB

Accommodating Peer-to-Peer Carsharing at Airports Webinar

December 17, 1:00-2:30 PM

National Transit Institute

Assault Awareness and Prevention for Transit Operators (Train-the-Trainer) Online Course

December 17, 1:00-4:30 PM

New

North Dakota Local Technical Assistance Program

Leadership - Skills to Live By Training

Jamestown, ND, December 18, 10:00-5:00 PM

Registration deadline: December 15, 2025

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

December 18, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National Transit Institute

National Transit Database: Annual Reporting for Indian Tribes - Virtual Course

December 18-19, 1:00-4:30 PM

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

December 23, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

December 30, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

January 6, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies

Reaching Opportunities Through Transportation—New Results from the National Accessibility Evaluation Webinar

January 7, 1:00-2:00 PM

National RTAP

Tribal Transit TIPS (Tribal Innovative Performance Solutions) Roundtable: Collaborating for Holistic Mobility Solutions

January 7, 2:00-3:00 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

January 8, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

Smart Growth America and Transportation for America

TransportationCamp

Washington, DC, January 10

TRB

TRB Annual Meeting

Washington, DC, January 11-15

We're presenting!

Smart Growth America

Celebrating 25 Years of Smart Growth America

Washington, DC, January 12, 5:30-8:00 PM

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

January 13, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

National Transit Institute

Violence in the Transit Workplace - Prevention, Response and Recovery (Train the Trainer) Online Course

January 14, 1:00-4:30 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

January 15, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

January 20, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

January 22, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

Native Learning Center

8th Annual Renewable Energy & Sustainability Conference

Hollywood, FL, January 26-28

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

January 27, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

Intertribal Transportation Association (ITA)

ITA Annual Meeting

Oklahoma City, OK, (formerly October 27-29)

Now January 27-29

We're participating!

National RTAP

State RTAP Manager Peer Roundtable

January 28, 2:00-3:00 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

January 29, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

National Transit Institute

Procurement III: RFPs and Competitive Contract Negotiations

Philadelphia, PA, February 2-5

New

National Transit Institute

Introduction to Paratransit Management and Operations Online Course

February 2-5, 1:00-5:00 PM

New

National Transit Institute

Pathway to Effective Management and Supervision Online Course

February 2-5, 1:00-5:00 PM

New

National Transit Institute

Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-Making Online Course

February 2-5, 1:00-5:00 PM

New

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

February 3, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

February 5, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

National Transit Institute

Transportation Planning Process Online Course

February 9-12, 1:00-5:00 PM

New

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

February 10, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

Transportation Energy Partners

2026 Energy Independence Summit

Washington, DC, February 10-11

New

National Transit Institute

Crisis Communications for Transit Managers Online Course

February 10-11, 1:00-4:30 PM

New

National Transit Institute

Assault Awareness and Prevention for Transit Operators (Train-the-Trainer) Online Course

February 11, 1:00-4:30 PM

New

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

February 12, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

February 17, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

February 19, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

National RTAP

Books in Transit Discussion Group Meeting - The New Life

February 19, 2:00-3:00 PM

New

National RTAP

Learn About TACL - The Transportation Technical Assistance Coordination Library Webinar

February 23, 2:00-3:00 PM

New

National Transit Institute

Introduction to Transit Service Planning Online Course

February 23-26, 1:00-5:00 PM

New

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

February 24, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

February 26, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

National Transit Institute

FTA Uniform Act Basics for Transit Agency Personnel Online Course

February 26, 1:00-5:00 PM

For a listing of all National RTAP and other national events, view our Calendar. To submit an event, email info@nationalrtap.org.

Calendar of Events

National RTAP | 888-589-6821 | info@nationalrtap.org | nationalrtap.org

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