eNews - November 7, 2024

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

New National RTAP Cybersecurity for Transit Cheat Sheet

National RTAP Directory of Grant Writers Launched

FTA Proposed Changes to National Transit Database (NTD) Reporting Requirements

U.S. DOT Final Rule on Mock Oral Fluid Monitors

New Grants through FHWA PROTECT and EPA Community Change Programs

New National Cybersecurity for Transit Cheat Sheet

National RTAP published a Cybersecurity for Transit Cheat Sheet. The checklist can be used to prepare for, respond to, and recover from cyber incidents. It covers topics including cyber incident response plans, configuring equipment and servers, staff policies and training, and more. There is a section at the end for entering key contact information. National RTAP appreciates the review of the spotlight article by Kevin Wassom, Compliance Specialist, Michigan Department of Transportation.

FTA proposed changes and clarifications to National Transit Database (NTD) reporting requirements, including additional GTFS data to be collected, changes to passenger stations and maintenance facilities, A–20 NTD/TERM Alignment reporting, cyber security event reporting, and other changes. Comments are due December 30, 2024.

Effective December 5, 2024, U.S. DOT is revising its drug and alcohol procedures to provide temporary qualification requirements for mock oral fluid monitors, provide for consistent requirements by identifying which individuals may be present during an oral fluid collection, and clarify how collectors are to document that a sufficient volume of oral fluid was collected. 

FTA notified transit agencies that Phoenix Motorcars (doing business as PhoenixEV) is voluntarily recalling certain Proterra-built transit buses due to an overheating issue that can increase the risk of fire. FTA also issued Safety Advisory 24-1 advising transit agencies that use certain Proterra-built Phoenix Motorcars buses to make an important software update to correct an overheating issue that can increase the risk of vehicle fire.

FTA requested an extension to its stakeholder customer service survey. The survey addresses how FTA will streamline service delivery and improve the experience of its customers. FTA is seeking a 3-year approval of an existing information collection to collect data from transit agencies, states, tribal governments, and metropolitan planning organizations. Comments must be submitted by November 27, 2024.

FTA is planning to launch a new technical assistance center in early 2025. The new Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility (CCAM) will support CCAM members and partners in improving transportation access for people with disabilities, older adults, and individuals of low income, and will coordinate human services transportation that advances people's access to everyday destinations.

FTA's October 2024 Transit Safety and Oversight Spotlight Newsletter includes an article about the Oklahoma Transit Association receiving a U.S. DOT Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation Impact Award Grant for expanding their Rolling Oklahoma Classroom to provide regional access through their mobile human trafficking awareness vehicle in eight surrounding states to raise awareness for rural and Tribal communities.

FTA offers a new Procurement 101 eLearning course, that will help grant recipients ensure their procurements are compliant with federal, state, and local procurement rules and regulations. This training will also prepare recipients for FTA audits, particularly Triennials, State Management Reviews, and Procurement Systems Reviews (PSR).

There are several upcoming Tribal Transit training opportunities, including:

• FHWA's PROTECT Notice of Funding Opportunity – How to Apply (Tribal Applicants) Webinar 
• Broadband USA's Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program for Native Entities Applicant Webinar: Project Narrative
• U.S. DOT's Innovative Tools for Transportation Data Collection and Sharing in Tribal Communities Webinar

AMF Bruns offers a free wheelchair securement training program, which instructs on installation best practices. Upon completion, users will receive a certificate of completion.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and the International Transportation Learning Center (ITLC), developed Zero-Emission Bus Maintenance Training. The training includes recommended practice for transit bus maintenance staff on topics including repairs, safety, components, systems, and theory of operation.

The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has a Climate Change Collection. Resources include Integrating Resilience Concepts and Strategies into Transportation Planning and Current Methods for Life-Cycle Analyses of Low-Carbon Transportation Fuels in the United States.

The Safety through Disruption (Safe-D) National University Transportation Center's Automated Shuttles and Buses for All Users identifies enhancements in planning, vehicles, service, operations, the street system, and the built environment so that individuals with disabilities can safely access and use automated shuttles.

The National Aging and Disability Center's (NADTC) technical assistance brief on Microtransit Accessibility provides considerations for accommodating people with disabilities and older adults on microtransit, such as the app to book and track rides being made accessible to screen-readers, including meeting WCAG accessibility standards.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources offers a Fall Color Finder, an interactive site that tracks changing leaves in Minnesota state parks. The finder features a toggle option for an alternative color scheme map with blue and red tones.

AASHTOWare OpenAPI is a cloud-based platform that provides a connectivity framework for routing data between AASHTOWare products and other software, including commercial solutions and internal transportation agency systems, whether they are hosted on-premises or in the cloud. A license for non-AASHTO members is available. 

The Alternative Fuels Data Center EVI-RoadTrip Lite: Charging Need tool estimates the number and type of charging ports needed, as well as the associated energy consumption, to support long-distance travel of 100 miles or more along corridors in a specific state or county.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) updated the National Transportation Atlas Database (NTAD). Updated data includes National Transit Map Stops, National Transit Map Routes, National Transit Map Agencies, Travel Time to Work, Means of Transportation to Work, and additional topics. BTS also updated its National Transportation Statistics (NTS) with data on U.S. Energy Consumption by the Transportation Sector, Energy Intensity of Transit Motor Buses, and other topics. 

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) Transportation Technology Total Cost of Ownership (T3CO) tool enables levelized assessments of the full life cycle costs of advanced technology commercial vehicles. The tool can inform technical targets for electric vehicles and components to accelerate commercialization and assess electric vehicle charging and hydrogen fueling infrastructure needs.

FHWA is soliciting applications through February 24, 2025 for its Fiscal Years 2024-2026 Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) Program. The PROTECT Program provides grants for projects that strengthen surface transportation to be more resilient to natural hazards and disasters through planning, resilience improvements, community resilience, evacuation routes, and at-risk coastal infrastructure.

EPA’s new Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants program announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity for environmental and climate justice activities to benefit disadvantaged communities through projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to address environmental and climate justice challenges. Applications are being accepted through November 21, 2024.

The Transportation Technology Tournament is an annual event hosted by the National Operations Center of Excellence, Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office, and Institute of Transportation Engineers that connects student teams with public agencies to solve real-world transportation problems utilizing Intelligent Transportation Systems and Transportation Systems & Operations solutions.

The Administration for Community Living is soliciting applications for its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, Phase I through December 16, 2024. The SBIR program stimulates technological innovation in the private sector, strengthens the role of small business in meeting federal research or research and development needs, and improves the return on investment from federally-funded research for economic and social benefits to the nation. 

EVAL (Electric Vehicle Adoption Leadership) is a national workplace EV charging certification program. EVAL is provided by FORTH and backed by the U.S. Department of Energy. EVAL certifies employers for a range of initiatives, including electric vehicle charging, carpooling, biking, public transportation, and incentives for sustainable work commuting.

FMCSA published a final rule on Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Anti-Ejection Glazing for Bus Portals; Bus Emergency Exits and Window Retention and Release, effective December 30, 2024. This rule specifies impactor tests of the glazing material of side and roof windows for large buses. Petitions for reconsideration of this rule must be submitted by December 16, 2024.

The General Services Administration proposes to amend its Construction Labor Requirements for Lease Acquisitions regulation to add a new section that adopts the amended definition of the term “public building or public work” from the Department of Labor's Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulations final rule and to include compliance with the minimum wage and sick leave Executive Orders, and other requirements. Comments are due January 6, 2025.

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).



Bobit

Fleet Forward & Fleet Safety Conferences 

San Diego, CA, Nov. 6-8

FHWA

PROTECT Notice of Funding Opportunity – How to Apply Webinar

November 7, 1:00 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

November 7, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

Joint Office of Energy and Transportation

Right-Sizing E-Mobility Webinar

November 7, 2:00 PM

TRB 

Behavioral Science and Nudge Applications in Transportation Webinar

November 8, 1:00-2:30 PM

Transit Workforce Center (TWC)

Making Connections 2024 - The National Transit Workforce Conference

Baltimore, MD, November 11-13

We're presenting!

Q'Straint

Q'Straint: Q'LIVE Wheelchair Securement Training Webinar

November 12, 12:00 PM

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

November 12, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

FHWA

PROTECT Notice of Funding Opportunity – How to Apply (Tribal Applicants) Webinar 

November 12, 2:00 PM

Open Mobility Foundation

Open Mobility Foundation Summit and CoMotion

Los Angeles, CA, November 12-14

Broadband USA

Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program for Native Entities Applicant Webinar: Project Narrative

November 13, 2:00 PM

National Center for Rural Road Safety

Risk-Based Safety Planning for Tribes

November 13, 4:00-5:30 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

November 14, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

U.S. DOT

Resilient Transportation Infrastructure: DOT Climate Adaptation Plan 2024-2027 Webinar

November 14, 2:00 PM

UMass Amherst and Massachusetts DOT

Innovation Webinar: Cross-Modal Impact Assessment for Sustainable Transportation Networks

November 14, 2:00 PM

Micromobility America

Micromobility America Conference

Costa Mesa, CA, November 14-15 

FHWA

Preparing a Benefit-Cost Analysis for the PROTECT Discretionary Grant Program Webinar

November 18, 2:00 PM

TRB 

Rural Accessibility to Economic Opportunities and Education Webinar

November 19, 12:00-1:30 PM

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

November 19, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies

Mobility, Access, and Transportation Insecurity (MATI) Round 2 RFP Webinar

November 19, 1:00-2:00 PM

National Transit Institute

NTD Reporting Security Events on the S&S-40 and S&S-50 Form Webinar

November 19, 2:00-3:30 PM

FHWA

PROTECT Notice of Funding Opportunity – How to Apply Webinar

November 19, 4:00 PM

CharIN

CharIN Testival North America 2024

San Bernardino, CA, November 19-21

National Center for Applied Transit Technology (N-CATT)

N-CATT November 2024 Data Dashboards 201 Workshop Series

November 19-21, 2:00-4:30 PM

TRB 

Intermodal Passenger Facility Trends in Technology and User Experience Webinar

November 20, 2:00-3:30 PM

TRB 

Evolving the Practice of Benefit-Cost Analysis Webinar

November 21, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

November 21, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

U.S. DOT

Innovative Tools for Transportation Data Collection and Sharing in Tribal Communities Webinar

November 21, 1:00-2:30 PM

Broadband USA

Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program for Native Entities Applicant Webinar: Consolidated Budget Form

November 21, 2:00 PM

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

November 26, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

December 3, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

Partners for Automated Vehicle Education (PAVE)

AV Safety InfoShare Workshop

McLean, VA, December 3-4

Georgia Transit Association (GTA)

2024 GTA Annual Conference

Columbia, GA, December 4-6  

Please visit our booth!

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

December 5, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

American Public Transportation Association (APTA)

APTA Safety and Risk Management Seminar

Atlanta, GA, December 8-11

American Public Transportation Association (APTA)

APTA Transit Ballot Initiatives Workshop

Cincinnati, OH, December 9-11

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

December 10, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National Transit Institute

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

December 10, 1:00-4:30 PM

National Transit Institute

Ridership Forecasting with STOPS for Transit Project Planning

Durham, NC, December 10-12

Broadband USA

Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program for Native Entities Applicant Webinar: Additional Funding & Other Certifications

December 11, 3:00 PM

Q'Straint

Q'Straint: Q'LIVE Wheelchair Securement Training Webinar

December 12, 12:00 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

December 12, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National Transit Institute

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

December 16, 1:00-4:30 PM

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

December 17, 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 17-18, 1:00-4:30 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

December 19, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

January 2, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

January 7, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National RTAP

Succession Planning LinkedIn Learnalong

January 7, 2:00-3:00 PM

Partners for Automated Vehicle Education (PAVE)

CES 2025 - PAVE Roundtable

Las Vegas, NV, January 8, 1:30 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

January 9, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National RTAP

State RTAP Manager Peer Roundtable

January 9, 2:00-3:00 PM

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

January 14, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

U.S. DOT

Navigating Climate Challenges: Enhancing Transportation Resilience Webinar

January 15, 2:00 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

January 16, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

January 21, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

January 23, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

Seminole Tribe of Florida 

Renewable Energy & Sustainability 7th Annual Conference 

Hollywood, FL, January 27-29

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

January 28, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National Transit Institute

Ridership Forecasting with STOPS for Transit Project Planning

Salt Lake City, UT, January 28-30

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

January 30, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

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

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