May 2024

On April 10, 2024, FTA published the updated National Public Transportation Safety Plan (National Safety Plan), in conjunction with the publication of the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans (PTASP) on April 11, 2024, to address new requirements in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, enacted as the Infrastructure Investment Jobs Act.

The updated National Safety Plan establishes performance measures for Agency Safety Plans (ASP), including measures for safety risk reduction programs, to improve the safety of public transportation systems that receive FTA financial assistance. Transit agencies and Safety Committees will set safety performance targets (SPTs) based on these measures to monitor and assess the safety performance of their public transportation systems.

The final PTASP rule addresses the following topics (among other updates):

• Role of the Accountable Executive
• Safety Committees (including composition, responsibilities, and procedures)
• Safety risk reduction programs
• Safety Performance Targets
• Methods for addressing exposure to infectious diseases through the Safety Management System (SMS) process
• Expanding Continuous Improvement requirements to small public transportation providers
• Competencies and training

Dr. Marylin Dillon, Mobile Management Administrator and ADA Coordinator for EMBARK was the featured speaker at the Norman League of Women Voters’ Lunch and Learn, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 8 at Inter Interurban, 1150 Ed Noble Pkwy.

Dillon's early career in the private and nonprofit sectors focused on human services provision as well as time spent managing laboratory operations, sales, and transportation logistics for an international health organization.

Dillon returned to the City of Oklahoma City in 2012 as a Budget Analyst, quickly promoted to Audit Manager in 2013 before moving to EMBARK in 2016.

Dillon earned a Bachelor of Science from Oklahoma City University and an MBA from Colorado State University. She holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership and Management from Northcentral University and is certified in Lean Six Sigma.

Dillon serves on multiple Oklahoma Transit Association committees and serves as the Board President of the Oklahoma Mobility Institute; both of these organizations are focused on improving connectivity and mobility access for all Oklahomans. - Learn More Here

Oklahoma Health and Services recently surveyed Oklahomans and provided valuable information regarding the use of transportation by our state's aging demographic. View the infographic here.

Make plans to attend attend, learn, and support Tribal Transportation at theTribal Transportation Program Coordinating Committee (TTPCC) meeting May 21-24, 2024 at the Grand Casino and Hotel in Shawnee, Oklahoma.

Click Here to view the agenda.

Your membership in the Oklahoma Transit Association helps protect and improve transit in our state and we appreciate your support and participation. 2023 was a very productive year for the organization and our future is exciting! 

Our biggest victory on behalf of ALL Oklahoma Transit Agencies was maintaining the doubling the state revolving fund allocation for a second year in a row! This allocation of $10.7 million dollars will allow public transits in Oklahoma to have access to more match funding and not leave federal dollars on the table. We are already hard at work engaging with our state legislators to ensure this funding continues in 2024, as well as, working to sponsor a bill to address driver assaults with more severe penalties on a state level.

This chart reflects the transit increases in the last two years because of the efforts of the OkTA. Join us and let's keep doing this, together!

To improve the transit community’s understanding of the effects of fatigue in the workplace, FTA published a new Fatigue Resources for Transit Operations resource webpage. This resource webpage is designed for the transit community, including bus and rail transit workers (drivers, maintenance staff, etc.), agency management and other transit professionals.

Fatigue-related resources include articles, videos, reports, websites, guides, and more, in the following categories:

• Understanding Sleep   
• Causes  
• Symptoms and Warning Signs of Fatigue  
• Effects  
• Transit Employees   
• Transit Employers   

• U.S. Department of Transportation Announces Latest Step Toward Launching New Reconnecting Communities Institute

• Miller Named Vice Chair NCSL Committee

• Oklahoma Transportation Commission Approves Federal Funding for Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program

• ODOT Wants Input from Public Through Community Engagement



• Final Reminder! Register: 2024 FTA Advancing Safety Risk Management and Safety Assurance Workshops

• DOL Will Raise Overtime Salary Threshold to $44k in July, $59k Next Year

• ODOT Announces New Projects Planned for 2029

The ROC Bus has been continuing its mission to provide training and support in various locations across Oklahoma. April brought stops in McAlester for a training on human trafficking, Glenpool for the Tribal Transportation Training, and Shawnee for the Touch a Truck Event. The ROC Bus is committed to ensuring that individuals and organizations have access to the tools and training they need.

Have a public event coming up in your area? Invite the ROC Bus!

If you have any questions about committees, please contact Andrea Ball at Andrea@oktransit.org.

Click here to learn more about the committees.

NOMINATE A DRIVER DOING GOOD!

In this day and age, a kind word and a steady presence is especially meaningful and is the mark of quality customer service. Professional drivers know that their job has the potential to change a person’s day for the better. Help the OTA to recognize these special individuals who go out of their way to care for others! Submit "Drivers Doing Good" stories or photos by sending an email to admin@oktransit.org.