National RTAP eNews - July 11, 2019

eNews - July 11, 2019

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.

July 16 is Rural Transit Day!

Celebrate the nation's first #RuralTransitDay by joining our Twitter Chat on Tuesday, July 16, 2019, 2:00-3:00 PM ET , moderated by Kari Banta of Texas DOT, Julia Castillo of HIRTA, and Juanita Risch of Idaho Transportation Department. The chat will focus on what agencies are doing to recognize passengers and staff on #RuralTransitDay and through the year.

Participants will be invited to share thoughts about challenges and solutions for rural transit. No registration required, but if you would like an email invite, RSVP to [email protected] .

National RTAP Launches 2019 Photo Contest : Transit Through the Seasons

Submit photos of your vehicle, staff, and/or riders against a rural backdrop that depicts the beauty of your area throughout the seasons to National RTAP's 2019 Transit Through the Seasons Photo Contest. We’re looking for examples of photos that show how stunning riding on transit can be. For inspiration, we're showing a photo of Crawford Area Transportation Authority (CATA) from our 2014 Photo Contest. For rules, prize info, and how to submit, click here. The deadline is August 15.

Photo Contest

Crawford Area Transit Authority (CATA) from our 2014 contest

Resources and Events

Only Two Weeks Left for the National RTAP Technical Assistance Conference Early Bird Deadline

The Early Bird Deadline for the 4th National RTAP Technical Assistance Conference: Charting New Trails for Rural & Tribal Transit is July 26. Register today !

Upcoming State RTAP Manager's Peer Roundtable

The roundtable is an open and informal peer discussion of issues affecting state RTAP programs. No registration required, simply join at GoToMeeting on July 31 at 2:00 PM ET. Discussion topics include FTA reviews, grant management, training certifications, and low-no emission vehicles. For a calendar invite, contact [email protected].

U.S. DOT and FTA Updates

FTA published a Protecting Public Transportation Operators From the Risk of Assault notice in the Federal Register with guidance for transit agencies to address the risk of transit operator assault when identified through the processes required under the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) regulation.

The Center for Transportation & the Environment (CTE) was selected by FTA to coordinate research and outreach priorities for newly created Transit Vehicle Innovation Deployment Centers. Through these Centers, CTE will streamline multiple advanced bus research and education resources into an FTA-led program. CTE is looking for participation from transit operators that wish to participate on a National Advanced Technology Transit Vehicle Advisory Panel. For more information, contact Lauren Justice.

FTA published their Fiscal Year 2019 Apportionments, Allocations and Program Information in the Federal Register on July 3. The notice provides priorities for programs in FY 2019, announces the full-year apportionments and allocations for grant programs, and describes plans for competitive programs.

Webinars and Training

National Transit Institute is conducting a webinar on TCRP Research Report 199: Transit Technical Training, Volume 1: Guide to Applying Best Practices and Sharing Resources on July 19 from 2:00-3:30 PM ET. The report presents guidance on technical training programs, including National RTAP. It also documents the best models of technical training programs serving U.S. and international transportation agencies and related industries.

Opportunities

TRB is holding its John and Jane Public Communications Contest. The contest recognizes excellence in communications on technical transportation topics or issues to lay persons. This year’s theme is on the need for transportation investments and issues related to funding. The deadline to apply is July 26.

National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM) invites submittals for their Health Care Transportation Access Ready-to-Launch Grants. The grants will support communities in taking concrete steps toward implementing transportation solutions to address health care access. The deadline for responses is August 5.

NCMM is requesting proposals for their Community Mobility Design Challenge 2019. Applications for this opportunity are due August 1, 2019. The funding will support communities addressing mobility challenges of low-income community members for whom a lack of transportation is an obstacle to the pursuit of economic, health, and social well being.

Members and business partners of Southwest Transit Association (SWTA), State DOTs and State Associations can enter SWTA's Mobility in Action Photo Competition. Photos showing people in action using a transit service should be submitted by August 16.

On behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Institute for Intergovernmental Research released the Rural Responses to the Opioid Epidemic Grant Solicitation. Rural communities or regions will be selected for grant awards to build local capacity, foster cross-sector collaboration, and support innovation. Applications are due July 26.

Nominations are Open for Tribal Transit Champions and Systems Awards

The National RTAP Tribal Transit Champions and Systems Awards honor innovation, efficiency, commitment, and performance in the tribal transit industry. Awards will be presented at the National RTAP Technical Assistance Conference. The deadline is August 2, 2019.

Publications

TCRP's Managing the Transit Scheduling Workforce examines how transit agencies are recruiting, training, developing, and retaining schedulers. When transit agencies use third parties to create schedules, the report also shows how transit systems manage those third parties.

Montana DOT and National RTAP staff have started a new blog post series about the National Transportation Knowledge Network (NTKN) LibGuides: Welcome to the NTKN LibGuide Petting Zoo. The first guide the blog features is Connected Vehicles Technology, created by Volpe Center, Oregon DOT, and Connecticut DOT staff.

Veteran's Transportation Program/Veteran's Health Administration's Assessing the Benefits of Transportation Services to Veterans: Health Benefits and Cost Savings Provided by the Veterans Transportation Service tracked metrics including cost savings, canceled appointments, timely discharges, and impact on health outcomes. For example, the study found $13.2 million in savings due to reductions in unnecessary inpatient stay days from this transportation service.

AARP's Mobility Managers Transportation Coordinators for Older Adults, People with Disabilities, Veterans, and Other Members of the Riding Public describes roles and functions of mobility managers, and provides case studies of successful models, such as HealthTran, Missouri, a Program of the Missouri Rural Health Association. AARP also provides a long-term scorecard detailing state performance on transportation policy indicators.

Updated National RTAP Tribal Transit Topic Guide

We updated our Tribal Transit Topic Guide in July 2019. New resources include National Congress of American Indian's Tribal Nations and the United States: An Introduction and Tribal Transportation Program Delivery Guide: A Guide for Tribes Having a Tribal Transportation Program Agreement with FHWA.

National RTAP Offers National Transit Institute Procurement Course

National RTAP is offering the NTI Procurement for Small and Medium Transit Systems training on September 18-19 in Portland, OR, as an add-on to our conference. This training will highlight FTA procurement requirements, explain procurement processes, and provide an overview of best practices. Registration is free for transit agencies, the federal government, MPOs and State DOTs. Visit the NTI Registration Page for full details and to register.

Legislation

FMCSA announced a proposed rule on June 27 for new bus drivers that would give states the discretion to allow qualified third-party skills trainers to also conduct skills testing for the same CDL applicants. The proposal includes information on submitting comments to the Federal Register Docket.

New Features in Resource Share: Articles and Citations

We've added two new features to our Resource Share library database. In addition to reports, training modules, toolkits, etc., you can now search for magazine and journal articles like Transit Increases On-Demand Options for Wheelchair Users.

We have also added a citation feature, so if you are citing resources in the bibliography or footnotes of your published work, you will find a suggested citation. If there is a resource added to Resource Share before we implemented this feature that you would like a citation for, contact us at [email protected].

Call for Student Posters for the National RTAP Conference

Students with a completed poster or new one can consider submitting a research poster by July 31 to the 4th National RTAP Technical Assistance Conference: Charting New Trails for Rural & Tribal Transit. It's an opportunity to share ideas and innovations with top industry leaders.