National RTAP eNews - March 5, 2020

eNews - March 5, 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.

Updated National RTAP Technical Brief: Tools that Connect: Online Trip Planners and GTFS Builder

We've retired two of our technical briefs: Getting Your Transit Online with GTFS and Tools for Rural Transit Systems: Google Transit. Our new technical brief updates those briefs. Tools that Connect: Online Trip Planners and GTFS Builder, provides practical technical assistance for making your routes more visible to potential riders and improving transit planning with General Transit Feed Specification (GFTS) and National RTAP's GTFS Builder web application.

Featured Resource

Upcoming National RTAP Cost Allocation Webinar

Join National RTAP and panelist Todd Hansen, Assistant Research Scientist with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) for a webinar on March 25, 2020 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET to learn about National RTAP’s Two-Variable Cost Allocation Calculator. National RTAP launched the Excel and Access versions of this app in 2019 to help states and transit programs with the financial management of route services and to track reporting metrics for the National Transit Database (NTD).

In this webinar, you will learn how the calculator tool uses service, financial and operational data to generate fully allocated costs and performance measures by route, travel mode, funding source, jurisdiction, and shared-ride services. Come see how this tool can simplify your cost allocation process and benefit your program and state. Register for the webinar.

Resources and Events

Tomorrow is the Last Day to Nominate Someone for the National RTAP Review Board

National RTAP is soliciting nominations for three state transit officials and one rural or tribal transit operator for our Review Board. The nominations from this solicitation will be used to fill vacancies in fall 2020 and into 2021. More information and the nomination form are available here. The deadline is tomorrow, March 6, 2020.

New National RTAP Hot Topic Guide on Coronavirus

National RTAP has posted a new Hot Topic Guide in our Find Anything Toolkit with resources that transit agencies can use to prepare for and respond to Coronavirus (COVID-19), including Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering interactive map of Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s What you Need to Know about Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) . Individuals who want to learn more on this topic can also register for an APTA webinar on Transit’s Response to COVID-19 (Coronavirus), which will take place today, March 5, 2020, from 3:00-4:15 PM ET.

State RTAP Manager Peer Roundtable Summary Available

National RTAP held a peer roundtable for State RTAP Managers on February 27, 2020. Topics discussed included bus roadeos, local match, NEMT, facilitating subrecipient coordination, drug and alcohol regulations, scholarship application automation, replacement vehicles, and procurement. Read the Roundtable Summary .

RIBTC Student Paper Contest Accepting Entries

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.

National RTAP's Rural iNTD Peer Grouping Tool Webinar Recording Available

On February 26, 2020, National RTAP held a webinar about a new tool for finding peer transit agencies available through the Rural Integrated National Transit Database (Rural iNTD). Paul Ryus, Principal Engineer with Kittelson & Associates, Inc. described the value of peer grouping, provided an overview of the methodology, and demonstrated how to use the tool to form a peer group. Access the webinar recording and presentation slides .

National RTAP RFP for 2021 Technical Assistance Conference Local Host

National RTAP is requesting proposals for a location for our 5th biennial rural and tribal technical assistance conference in fall 2021. Visit the 2021 Conference page and the Local Host RFP for full details. On that page, you will also find the Q&A webinar recording and slides, and a Q&A document that answers all questions submitted regarding the RFP and the 2021 conference.

U.S. DOT and FTA Updates

FTA released a Notice of Funding Opportunity on March 3, 2020 for a new grant. The Helping Obtain Prosperity for Everyone (HOPE) Program supports projects that will address the transportation challenges faced by areas of persistent poverty. $8.5 million is available in HOPE Program funds to improve transit services or facilities in areas of persistent poverty through funding for planning, engineering, technical studies, or financial plans. Tribes are eligible for this funding. Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov by May 5, 2020.

Applications for the FY 2020 U.S. DOT Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Transportation grants program are now being accepted and will be awarded on a competitive basis for surface transportation infrastructure projects that will have a significant local or regional impact. The Notice of Funding Opportunity was published on the U.S. DOT website. A webinar on how to compete for BUILD Transportation Grants for all applicants will be held on March 10, 2020. Applications must be submitted to Grants.gov by May 18, 2020.

On February 21, 2020, FTA published a letter to State DOT Secretaries and transit agencies to remind them of their obligation under the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) regulation (49 CFR Part 673). The compliance deadline is July 20, 2020.

U.S. DOT seeks input before implementing the Regional Infrastructure Accelerator Program that will assist entities in developing infrastructure priorities and financing strategies for accelerated development of a project eligible for funding under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act. Comments are due March 28, 2020.

Opportunities

USDA is soliciting applications through April 30, 2020 for their Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant. Grants are available to public bodies, communities, Indian Tribes, and private nonprofit corporations to identify and plan for community facility needs that exist in their area.

NCMM is collecting data and perspectives on stakeholders involved in coordination, including but not limited to State DOTs, State Departments of Health and Human Services, and Mobility Managers, to update the 2018 State of the States report. States interested in sharing their coordination and mobility management information can contact [email protected].

FEMA's FY 2020 Transit Security Grant Program provides funds to eligible public transportation systems (including intra-city bus) to protect infrastructure and the travelling public from terrorism, and increase resilience. The due date to apply through Grants.gov is April 15, 2020.

The Forth Roadmap Awards celebrate individuals and organizations which have distinguished themselves with exemplary dedication to electric and smart transportation. Nominations can be submitted through March 30, 2020 for an individual, company, or non-profit.

Individuals are invited to submit new TCRP Synthesis topics. Topics should be expedite delivery, improve quality, or lower cost of transportation programs. Submissions are due by March 18, 2020.

The AARP Purpose Prize honors individuals age 50 or older who are founders or co-founders of non-profit organizations, and have made meaningful impact through innovative approaches to an existing or emerging problem. The application deadline is March 31, 2020.

Voting is open for the 2020 Public Fleet Hall of Fame, which recognizes significant contributions to the public fleet industry. The last day to vote is March 9, 2020.

Webinars and Training

There are a number of training opportunities on topics related to mobility and coordination in the next few months, including:

TRB/WTS's Gender and Mobility Through the Course of Life
SUMC's National Shared Mobility Summit
National Transit Institute's Advancing Mobility Management
U.S. DOT's Mobility 21, National Mobility Summit of US Department of Transportation University Transportation Centers
Public Health Foundation's Cross-Sector Collaboration: Making Partnerships Work for Your Community

Publications

FHWA's Raising Awareness of Artificial Intelligence for Transportation Systems Management and Operations describes how artificial intelligence is being used in transportation management centers and showcases centers using it to improve operations.

The latest National Transportation Knowledge Network (NTKN) blog post, written by National RTAP and Montana DOT staff, features the Transportation Sustainability LibGuide.

NCHRP' s Case Studies in Cross-Asset, Multi-Objective Resource Allocation illustrates key issues in implementing a cross-asset resource allocation approach, such as using data for transportation improvement and long-range plans. The report also provides step-by-step guidance for using NCHRP's Cross-Asset Resource Allocation Spreadsheet Tool (CARATS).

Montana State University's Western Transportation Institute prepared a report about the Deep East Texas Council of Government's rural transportation voucher program. The Transportation Voucher Program: Final Report describes the pilot program deployed in five rural counties in eastern Texas and the challenges and benefits encountered, including addressing the needs of those who need transportation weekly, monthly, or intermittently and helping participants identify and access other applicable programs.

TRB's Mobility on Demand: A Smart, Sustainable, and Equitable Future explores the current state of mobility on demand, examines steps for preparing for a transition to autonomy, and emphasizes the role of public transit, shared mobility, and automation in mobility on demand.

Taking the Road Less Traveled to Deliver Rural Transit Service Published in Metro Magazine

Taking the Road Less Traveled to Deliver Rural Transit Service was published in Metro Magazine's February 2020 online and print editions. It was based on Progressive Rural Transit Services Offer Lessons in Mobility, Access for All, which was written by National RTAP and showcases case studies on Greenway Public Transportation, Travel Washington Intercity Bus Program, SCTDD Mule Town Trolley Service, and Kayak Public Transit.

National RTAP Defensive Driving Topic Guide Updated

The National RTAP Defensive Driving Topic Guide was updated in March 2020. We've added Automotive Fleet Magazine's Avoiding Accidents with Defensive Driving and Oklahoma Safety Council's Defensive Driving: Employer Refresher Tips.

Legislation

A notice was posted in the Federal Register on February 28, 2020 informing the public that the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board has collected and listed all their guidance documents on their website.

Citations Added to All Resources in National RTAP Resource Library

We have completed adding citations to all of our own and partner resources in our Resource Share library database. Over 600 resources now have citations that you can use in your own publications. We have used publisher provided suggested citations and created citations for the others. If you are publishing something and need help citing our resources, please contact us at [email protected].

Save the Date for a National RTAP Twitter Chat on Climate and Transit

Save the Date 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].