National RTAP eNews - April 10, 2025

eNews - April 10, 2025

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

Updated National RTAP Emergency Information Dissemination Technical Brief

Upcoming National RTAP/Transportation Safety Institute Trainings

National RTAP Fundamental Financial Management Quote Acrostic Puzzle Contest

National RTAP Review Board Spotlight Article - Darrel Williams

U.S. DOT Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program Funding Available

Updated National RTAP Emergency Information Dissemination Technical Brief

National RTAP updated its Emergency Information Dissemination Technical Brief, which focuses on the concept of public affairs preparedness with emphasis on fostering positive relationships with elected and appointed officials, civic leaders, and the media to help the agency meet its goals for ridership, revenue, and public recognition on a day-to-day basis. Issues such as releasing information during a crisis, injury and death, and information of a sensitive nature are addressed. This tech brief was updated with a Case Study on the Central Oklahoma Transit System (COTS).

Featured Resource

Thank you to Tom Nutter, Project Manager, Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Office of Mobility and Public Transit, for the review of the 2025 update.

Upcoming National RTAP / Transportation Safety Institute Trainings

National RTAP is hosting two Transportation Safety Institute (TSI) trainings in Ketchikan, AK: Substance Abuse Management and Program Compliance Course and Reasonable Suspicion and Post-accident Testing Determination Seminar on May 4-9, 2025. To register, send an email to Neil Rodriguez.

The room block is at the Cape Fox Lodge. Attendees will need to call the hotel and tell them they are attending the National RTAP Training and the training will be at the Ted Ferry Civic Center.

Fundamental Financial Management Quote Acrostic Snippet

National RTAP Fundamental Financial Management Quote Acrostic Puzzle Contest

Every spring, National RTAP publishes a new puzzle for both training and fun. This year we published a Quote Acrostic Puzzle based on our Fundamental Financial Management Training Module. Write your answers in the boxes listed below the clues A-J. Then use those letters to fill out a quotation from the training module – “Costs must be . . .” at the bottom of the puzzle page.

The first person to successfully complete the puzzle will win a $25 gift card. After someone wins the contest, we will publish the puzzle answers.

Quote Acrostic Puzzle

Upcoming National RTAP Events

In our Opportunities for Rural Mobility as a Service (MaaS) webinar on June 18, 2025 from 1:00-2:30 PM ET, we'll share lessons from two successful MaaS initiatives, one in rural Minnesota, the other from the San Joaquin Valley in California, which contains a number of rural areas. We'll also demonstrate how your scheduling and dispatch software can interface with existing MaaS platforms to seamlessly connect customers to fixed-route and demand-responsive transit, along with carshare, vanpool, taxi, and ridehail services.

Register for the upcoming 2025 National RTAP Tribal & Rural Transit Mini-Conference that will take place on June 24-26, 2025 in Santa Fe, NM. National RTAP is providing three (3) full days of tribal and rural transit training. The mini-conference kicks off with a two-day grant writing workshop. On Day 3, attendees can choose from either a day-long training on the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) or taking a concurrent day-long training, which will include: a morning with Customer Service and Dealing with Problem Passengers training modules; and an afternoon of PASS Securement training. PLEASE NOTE: You must register for all three days of the workshop (6/24/25 through 6/26/25). Only those attendees who attend all three days of the mini-conference, and who are present to win, are eligible for the raffle at the end of Day 3. See the Conference Flyer.

The National RTAP Books in Transit Discussion Group selected Bus People: 30 Days on the Road with America's Nomads by Mike Pentecost as its next book to read for its August 19, 2025, 2:00-3:00 PM ET meeting. Bus People focuses on the stories, hopes, and dreams that accompany the passengers that Greyhound serves. Register for the meeting. The author will be joining us! If you would like to borrow the book from the National RTAP Resource Library, please contact us.

Technology Tools Office Hours

National RTAP offers free, live GTFS Builder support on Thursdays from 1:00-1:30 PM ET. Use this link to join. National RTAP also offers live technical support for Website Builder on Tuesdays from 1:00-1:30 PM ET. Share your screen, ask questions, and get help. Use this link to join – no need to register for either session.

Opportunities to Participate in the

2025 National RTAP Technical Assistance Conference

The 6th National RTAP Technical Assistance Conference, Wrangling Access and Mobility in Rural and Tribal Transit, will take place in Austin, Texas between December 7-10, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency Austin on 208 Barton Springs Road. We will post more information on our conference web page when available.

Lillian Karabaic will deliver the keynote presentation at our conference. She is the host of Oregon Public Broadcasting's Weekend Edition and also hosted Stop Requested, a series about traveling around Oregon on Public Transit.

We are accepting presentation proposals. Proposals should address how transportation services impact lives and create measurable benefits in communities. Read more about the submission process and submit a session summary by April 15, 2025. We are also accepting sponsorship proposals.

Students are invited to submit a poster for the Conference to be shown on December 7, 2025. Posters for consideration must be sent by October 1, 2025 to info@nationalrtap.org and students must be able to present their posters in-person.

The Walk of Fame will take place at the conference to recognize exemplary staff for dedication, innovation, customer service, and professionalism. Send the nominee’s name, title, transit agency, email address, and phone number, a photograph of the nominee in jpeg or png format, and a paragraph (500 character limit) about why they should be honored, to info@nationalrtap.org by October 10, 2025.

Get Ready for Rural Transit Day

Rural Transit Day is July 16, 2025. Now you can purchase an official Rural Transit Day t-shirt through our t-shirt vendor, as many of you have asked for. The deadline to order is May 31, 2025.

This year we are requesting smart cards for our Rural Transit Day Time Capsule. If you have any that you can send us (no fares need to be loaded), please mail them to Cara Marcus, Knowledge and Resource Manager, National RTAP, 5 Wheeling Avenue, Woburn, MA 01801.

We will be holding a Facebook Live Rural Transit Day Chat on July 16, 2025 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET. If you would like to participate, please RSVP.

National RTAP Review Board Spotlight Article - Darrel Williams

Darrel Williams, Resource Director for the Ninilchik Village Tribe, joined the National RTAP Review Board in 2025. He founded the Tribe’s transit system, Basic Unified Multi-Path Service (BUMPS), which serves the community, non-drivers, seniors, and people with special needs. BUMP's impact is far-reaching, spanning a service area of 250 miles. Darrel has also taught as a university assistant professor, was appointed to the mayor's advisory committee, and is an avid fisherman. Read more about Darrel.

National RTAP Participation in Upcoming Conferences

We're presenting, exhibiting, and participating at the following conferences and meetings:

National RTAP Fundamental Financial Management RFP Pre-Proposal Call

National RTAP will be creating an eLearning course for our Fundamental Financial Management training and will be holding a Request for Proposals (RFP) Pre-Proposer Call on May 7, 2025 between 2:00-3:00 PM ET. Qualified proposers can register for the call and send questions to Scott Zadakis, National RTAP eLearning Project Manager, by April 30, 2025.

Updated National RTAP Disasters Topic Guide

National RTAP continues its annual Topic Guide update with our Disasters Topic Guide. Resources include:

Access Codes Now Required for National RTAP eLearning

National RTAP has implemented an access code requirement for eLearning platform registration. When an agency or organization signs up, their administrator is provided with an access code. This access code can be used for new learners to sign up for eLearning.

Missouri RTAP Newsletter Focuses on National RTAP

How to Make Succession Planning Successful by National RTAP Knowledge and Resource Manager Cara Marcus was published in the First Quarter 2024 Missouri RTAP eNewsletter. Other articles published were National RTAP's Time Management technical brief, What's New in the ADA Toolkit and Find Anything Toolkit, Outside the Metro Area, Bus Routes Thriving (a Denver Post article with a quote from National RTAP), and Opportunities to Participate in the 2025 National RTAP Technical Assistance Conference.

U.S. DOT and FTA Updates

The U.S. DOT Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program is accepting applications through June 26, 2025. Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis to support planning and demonstration activities, as well as projects and strategies to prevent death and serious injury on roads and streets involving all roadway users.

The 2025 FTA Master Agreement was published on March 26, 2025. FTA also published a document outlining Master Agreement changes from 2024 to 2025.

U.S. DOT rescinded the following memorandums: Policy on Using Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Resources to Build a Better America and a memorandum updating Policy on Using Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Resources to Build a Better America.

U.S. DOT seeks comments through May 5, 2025 on the Executive Order for Ensuring Lawful Regulation; Reducing Regulation and Controlling Regulatory Costs. They are seeking guidance on which existing regulations, guidance, or reporting requirements are still necessary and how U.S. DOT can best promote meaningful regulatory cost reduction while achieving its regulatory objectives.

U.S. DOT is seeking public comment on a proposed extension of a collection of information on Improving Customer Experience. Submit comments on or before June 9, 2025.

Webinars and Training

The National Center for Community Health Centers Navigating the First Days of Disaster: Working Together to Build an Emergency Response Playbook Learning Collaborative will bring emergency managers and other leadership together to build on past experiences with disasters, including hurricanes, wildfires, disease outbreaks, power outages, and more to improve rapid response in the early days of disasters. It takes place during four virtual sessions between May 8 to June 5, 2025. Applications close April 25, 2025.

The Assistive Technology Learning Hub published training on Adding Alt Text to Social Media Posts. Step-by-step guides with audio accompaniment are available for Instagram, Twitter/X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.

Publications

TCRP's Mental Health, Wellness, and Resilience for Transit System Workers provides a detailed summary of common factors that influence the mental health, well-being, and resiliency of frontline transit workers and includes a range of solutions that transit agencies can implement to address them, such as providing more support in the field and ongoing support after incidents.

NCHRP's Pandemics and Contractual Issues examines the impact of pandemics on the legal obligations of parties to contracts (particularly construction contracts) with state departments of transportation and other transportation agencies.

FHWA's Systemic Safety User Guide presents a process for incorporating systemic planning into the safety management process. The chapters describe how agencies can identify focus crash types, facility types, and risk factors; screen and prioritize candidate locations using risk; identify and select countermeasures for systemic deployment; prioritize and deliver systemic projects; and evaluate systemic projects.

In Modernizing Rural Transit’s Toolbox: Microtransit as a Strategy to Achieve High Quality Coverage Service in Rural Areas, authors from the Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University explain how microtransit modernizes the rural transit toolbox, which in the past has often been limited to the choice between low-performing and circuitous one-way fixed route loops or inconvenient dial-a-ride services that require advance reservations and long wait times.

The recently launched FTA Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility Technical Assistance Center (CCAM-TAC) has a new website. The website includes CCAM communities of practice, TACL resources, and NCMM e-Learning courses.

Databases and Tools

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) updated its National Transportation Statistics (NTS), a guide to historical national-level transportation trends. Updated tables include bus fuel consumption and travel, hazardous materials fatalities, injuries, accidents, property damage data, and other data.

Unglue.it is a database with over 10,000 free electronic books (ebooks). Users can search terms including transit and transportation, and download ebooks to their computers.

North Dakota implemented a State Data Hub that contains topics including employment, population, finance, and U.S. Census resources such as a Tribal Area Tool.

RideMatch, a project of GATRA, with support from MassDOT, is a searchable directory of public, private, and accessible transportation options in Massachusetts. Users can search by location, ride type, and special needs.

Opportunities

Researchers at the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida (USF) want to know how transit agencies across the U.S. are evaluating their workforce development programs. Please take 10 -15 minutes to complete a survey and let them know if your transit agency is actively evaluating its workforce development programs, the metrics and methods being used, and the valuable lessons you’ve learned along the way. The survey is currently open now until June 27, 2025.

A survey on volunteer driver programs is being conducted through April 30, 2025 by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) in partnership with Easterseals and West Virginia University under NCHRP Project 08-183. Organizations with volunteer driver programs in rural or low-density areas will help shape a national toolkit to support and sustain volunteer driver programs.

Legislation

The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation approved a Program Comment on Certain Housing, Building, and Transportation Undertakings that provides all federal agencies with an alternative way to review the effects on historic properties for certain building-related and transportation infrastructure-related undertakings. An appendix is included for the Format for Authorization by an Indian Tribe for Use of This Program Comment on Its Tribal Lands.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) delegated authority to SBA's Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience's core work in disaster declarations and field response with a focus on economic recovery through enhanced coordination among all SBA programs.

Upcoming Events

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).

New

PRISM Consortium

Safety and Security of Popular Transport: Risks, Conflicts, and Challenges Webinar

April 10, 11:00 AM

New

ITN

Transforming Community Transportation Webinar

April 10, 1:00 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

April 10, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

RPO America

RPO America Peer Exchange

April 10, 2:00 PM

TRB

Mitigate Exposure to Airborne Diseases through Bus Cabin Air Webinar

April 10, 2:00-3:30 PM

Curbivore

Curbivore 2025

Los Angeles, CA, April 10-11

Arizona Transit Association (AzTA)

Arizona’s 38th Annual Statewide Transit Conference

Flagstaff, AZ, April 14-16

Please visit our booth!

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

April 15, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New Jersey Transaction

New Jersey Transaction Conference

Atlantic City, NJ, April 15-17

We're presenting

The Drug & Alcohol Testing Institute, Inc. (DER)

2025 Drug and Alcohol Testing Institute Summit for DER's and Program Managers

Omaha, NE, April 15-17

American Bus Association (ABA)

2025 WIB (Women in Bus) Meet & Eat Session

April 16, 1:00 PM

Local Motion

Moving Missouri Forward Summit

Columbia, MO, April 16-18

Please visit our table!

National Transit Institute

Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-Making

St. Louis, MO, April 16-18

Connecticut RTAP

CTRTAP Spring Conference

Hartford, CT, April 17

Please visit our table!

New

Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility Technical Assistance Center (CCAM-TAC)

You Get What You Measure: Developing Performance Measures That Show Community Impact Webinar

April 17, 1:00 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

April 17, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE)

Investing in Workforce Development to Advance the Transportation System Webinar

April 17, 1:00-2:00 PM

America Walks and Main Street America

Rural Communities Walkability and Quality of Life Webinar

April 17, 2:00-3:00 PM

Southwest Transit Association (SWTA)

Federal Transit Funding & Legislation 301: Real Talk about Reauthorization Webinar

April 22, 12:00-1:00 PM

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

April 22, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

AASHTO

AASHTOWare Connect Conference

Providence, RI, April 22-24

National Safety Council (NSC)

2025 NSC Spring Safety Conference & Expo (SSCE) and NSC Networks Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) Summit

Charlotte, NC, April 22-25

National Safety Council (NSC)

Distracted Driving Awareness Month Expert Panel

April 23, 1:00 PM

New

TRB

Supply Chain Based Resilience Planning in the U.S. Webinar

April 24, 12:00-1:30 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

April 24, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

National Center for Rural Road Safety

Planning for Spring Road Users Webinar

April 24, 1:00-2:30 PM

North Carolina Public Transportation Association (NCPTA)

NCPTA Conference, Expo, Roadeo & Golf Tournament

Cherokee, NC, April 25-30

Please visit our booth!

North American Fleet Association (NAFA)

NAFA 2025 Institute & Expo (I&E)

Long Beach, CA, April 28-30

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

April 29, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

Vision Zero Network

Leveraging SS4A Funding for Safe Streets Webinar

April 29, 1:00-1:45 PM

America Walks

Tribal Pedestrian Safety Workshop and Quick-Build Demonstration Project

Jemez, NM, April 29-30

New

Transportation Alliance

Legislative Fly-In

Washington, DC, April 29-30

ALTRANS & Transit Association of Alabama

2025 ALTRANS & Transit Association of Alabama Conference

Gulf Shores, AL, April 29 - May 1

Please visit our booth!

New

University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies (CTS)

CTS Webinar: Pedestrian Safety and Driver Behavior Near an Automated Vehicle

April 30, 1:00-2:30 PM

New

U.S. Access Board

U.S. Access Board Meeting

April 30, 1:30-3:00 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

May 1, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE)

TOM Talks: May 2025 Webinar

May 1, 1:00-2:30 PM

New

National RTAP and Transportation Safety Institute (TSI)

National RTAP/TSI Safety Trainings in Alaska

Ketchikan, AK, May 4-9

To register, send an email to Neil Rodriguez

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

May 6, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

Small Business Administration

National Small Business Week 2-Day Virtual Summit

May 6-7

New

National Transit Institute

Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-Making

Tampa, FL, May 6-8

New

National Institute for Congestion Reduction (NICR)

Using Disaggregate Vehicle Data to Investigate How Transit Accessibility Influences the Use of Ride-Hailing Services and Personal Vehicles Webinar

May 8, 12:00-1:00 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

May 8, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

National Transit Institute

Battery Electric Bus (BEB) Familiarization

San Bernardino, CA, May 12-13

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

AASHTO 2025 Spring Meeting

Hartford, CT, May 12-15

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

May 13, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

FORTH

Building EV-ready Communities to Accelerate Adoption Webinar

May 13, 4:00-5:00 PM

Nevada Department of Transportation, University of Nevada Reno, FHWA, Regional Transportation Commission

Nevada Transportation Conference

Reno, NV, May 13–14

Please visit our table!

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

May 15, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

Community Transportation Association of the North West (CTANW)

CTANW Summit

Bremerton, WA, May 19-20

Please visit our booth!

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

May 20, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

American Bus Association (ABA)

2025 WIB (Women in Bus) Meet & Eat Session

May 21, 1:00 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

May 22, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

May 27, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

TRB

TRB's Conference on Data and AI for Transportation Advancement

Seattle, WA, May 27-29

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

May 29, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA)

CTAA EXPO

San Diego, CA, June 2-4

Please visit our booth!

New

Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy

2025 Safe System Academy Conference

Washington, DC, June 2-6

New

National Transit Institute

Transit Academy 2025

Salt Lake City, UT, June 2-6

New

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

June 3, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

Special Libraries Association (SLA)

SLA 2025 Annual Conference & Expo

Pittsburgh, PA, June 7-10

We're presenting!

New

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

June 10, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

June 12, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

June 17, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

National RTAP

Opportunities for Rural Mobility as a Service (MaaS)

June 18, 1:00-2:30 PM

New

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

June 19, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

TRB

TRB National Conference on Tools of the Trade

Albuquerque, NM, June 23-25

National RTAP reviewed session abstracts

New

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

June 24, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

National RTAP

2025 National RTAP Tribal & Rural Transit Mini-Conference

Santa Fe, NM, June 24-26

New

NPMA and HIRTA

Transit Retreat

Des Moines, IA, June 25-26

New

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

June 26, 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.

Calendar of Events

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

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