National RTAP eNews - June 13, 2019

eNews - June 13, 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.

Best Wishes to Rob Tassinari on his Retirement

Senior Technical Director Rob Tassinari, a driving force in National RTAP's history, is retiring at the end of June. Read about Rob's tremendous contributions to the industry - including the development of ProcurementPRO and Rural iNTD, and what it was like to be with National RTAP through the years. Thank you for 10 wonderful years with National RTAP Rob!

Featured Resource

How to Buy a Vehicle Training Module Updated

National RTAP's How to Buy a Vehicle Training Module was completely revised in April 2019. Updated sections include survey data from the states on their acquisition programs and eligibility for program participation, examples of state programs, and FAST Act requirements for vehicle procurement. The training module now also includes a learner survey. In conjunction with this update, we have retired our Vehicle Procurement technical brief.

Resources and Events

Upcoming National RTAP Webinar on the Updated Transit Manager's Toolkit

The National RTAP Transit Manager's Toolkit has been thoroughly updated in May 2019 with new content, resources, charts, explanations, and more. Join Beth Hamby, KFH Group, and Cara Marcus, National RTAP, for an overview of the updated toolkit's sections, features, and functionality on June 24 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET. Register for the webinar.

Upcoming State RTAP Manager's Peer Roundtable

An open peer information exchange and informal discussion of issues affecting state RTAP programs. No registration required. Join the roundtable at GoToMeeting on July 31 at 2:00 PM ET. Some topics we will discuss include FTA reviews, grant management, training certifications, and low-no emission vehicles. For a calendar invite, contact [email protected].

Get Ready to Celebrate #RuralTransitDay

National RTAP will be hosting a Twitter Chat for the first annual #RuralTransitDay on July 16 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET. If you would like to participate, send an email request to [email protected].

National RTAP Tribal Transit Peer Roundtable Summary Available

National RTAP staff and tribal transit managers participated in a Peer Roundtable on April 30. The conversation centered upon topics including training and funding for tribes, reauthorization, and National RTAP opportunities for tribes. Read the Roundtable summary .

Transit Managers Roundtable Summary Available

On May 29, National RTAP staff and fellow transit managers met for a Peer Roundtable. The informal discussion of issues affecting rural transit organizations and open information exchange covered topics including partnering with local employers and universities, and driver onboarding. Read the Roundtable summary .

U.S. DOT and FTA Updates

FTA has a number of Public Transit Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) workshops for transit operators. Visit their Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans web page for available dates and to register.

U.S. DOT launched its Safety First initiative, designed to provide the public with a resource to safety programs handled by their agencies. The initiative provides information about the safety programs and campaigns their agencies provide.

Publications

Read an article about MassMobility's Massachusetts Volunteer Driver Program Network – A New Resource for Mobility. Through the MVDPN, organizations that operate volunteer driver programs (or want to start one) can connect and learn from each other’s challenges and successes.

TCRP's Public Transit Rider Origin–Destination Survey Methods and Technologies provides examples of transit systems with an in-depth analysis of various survey strategies and includes agencies that have leveraged passive data to complement or eliminate origin-destination surveys.

TCRP's Transit Service Evaluation Standards addresses the service evaluation process, including selection of appropriate metrics, service evaluation standards, data collection and analysis, and actions to improve service and implementation.

Webinars and Training

National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC) is offering a self-paced online course on Addressing Risk, Liability and Insurance in Volunteer Transportation Programs from June 12-July 17. Learners will gain a better understanding of key factors surrounding volunteer driver risk management, liability and insurance.

Easter Seals Project Action (ESPA) is offering a number of online trainings in June and July. They are self-paced and include pre-recorded webinars and online courses. Offerings include:

Importance of Data Collection for Travel Training Programs
Determining Conditional Eligibility for ADA Complementary Paratransit
Introduction to ADA Complementary Paratransit Management
Introduction to Travel Training Workshop

Updated National RTAP Mobility Management Topic Guide

We updated our Mobility Management Topic Guide in May 2019. New resources include:

Opportunities

The John A. Hartford Foundation Business Innovation Award highlights successes of community-based organizations that partner with health care entities and spur the replication of these partnerships nationwide. The deadline is June 14.

National Transportation Knowledge Network (NTKN) is developing a directory of knowledge and information professionals in transportation. Librarians, knowledge managers,data managers, communications professionals, and anyone who self identifies as an information professional in transportation is invited to fill out a form to be added to the directory.

TransitTalent is considering creating an archive of RFPs, IFBs, and awards from transit organizations. If you feel this would be helpful, email [email protected] .

Legislation

The Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019, H.R. 2157, was signed into law on June 6, 2019. The Act provides $19.1 billion to cover recovery and other costs associated with catastrophic disasters over the past three years. Funding includes $1.6 billion to FHWA’s Emergency Relief Program and $10.5 million to FTA's Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program.

An association of transit and transportation agencies has formed the Automated Bus Consortium. Its purpose is to accelerate deployment of automated transit technologies and combine collaborative decision-making of transit agencies nationwide. Pilot projects will demonstrate and deploy automated technologies in live service environments.

Early Bird Deadline for the National RTAP Technical Assistance Conference

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

Call for Student Posters for the National RTAP Conference

Students with a completed poster or new ideas can consider submitting a research poster by July 31 to the 4th National RTAP Technical Assistance Conference: Charting New Trails for Rural & Tribal Transit. Students can share their studies on transportation with top industry leaders.

Today is TCRP Day

Today, June 13, 2019, is TCRP Day. National RTAP is a partner of this exciting day commemorating Transit Cooperative Research Program resources, so please join our celebrations on our Facebook and Twitter pages and read the TCRP reports in this issue of eNews.

Calendar of Upcoming Events

Volpe Center

Creating Autonomous Vehicles and Travel Advisors That Are Risk-Aware

June 13, 12:00-12:45 PM