eNews - May 25, 2023
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
National RTAP Launches 2023 Photo Contest - This is Rural Transit
National RTAP Webinars about the Find Anything Toolkit and Hiring Transit Operators
National RTAP Review Board Spotlight Article - Jeremy Bell
FTA Achievement Award for Excellence in Environmental Document Preparation
North American Biodiversity and Climate Change Assessment Prospectus
National RTAP Launches 2023 Photo Contest: This is Rural Transit

Our National RTAP 2023 Photo Contest – This is Rural Transit – is all about the “rural” in rural transit. We’re looking for photos that showcase the beauty and uniqueness of rural areas and tribal lands and highlight what makes small towns special. Does your area have rolling hills, peaceful streams, bustling Main Streets, or fun summer community events? We want to see them! Entries must include a photo of the bus, bus stop, driver, and/or riders. Each transit agency can enter up to three photos by August 21, 2023.

Photo: Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) from our 2014 Photo Contest
Upcoming National RTAP Webinar about How to Find (Almost) Anything in Transit

National RTAP will hold a How to Find (Almost) Anything in Transit with the Find Anything Toolkit webinar on June 13, 2:00-3:00 PM ET. The Find Anything Toolkit was thoroughly updated and streamlined in 2023 to make it even easier to find anything and everything.

Join United Community Action Program/Cimarron Transit Director Laura Corff and National RTAP Knowledge and Resource Manager Cara Marcus for an interactive tour of the Toolkit.
Upcoming National RTAP Webinar on Successful Strategies for Hiring Rural and Tribal Transit Operators

This webinar on June 15, 2023, 2:00-3:00 PM ET will provide strategies for the recruitment and hiring process that can increase your applicant pool. David Stephen of the Transit Workforce Center will identify some of the reasons behind the current workforce shortage and effective strategies to increase awareness and interest in your job openings. Julia Castillo of HIRTA Public Transit in Iowa will speak about the changes her agency has made to its policies and procedures that have widened the applicant pool and made it easier for people to apply.
Bus driver
Upcoming National RTAP Events

In support of the forthcoming National Transit Database (NTD) reporting requirements for General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) for fixed and deviated fixed route service, National RTAP is offering free, live GTFS support Thursdays between 1:00-1:30 PM ET. Meet with our instructor, share your screen, and ask questions. Use this link to join the Zoom meeting – no preregistration is needed. GTFS support is also available Mondays through Fridays from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM ET by contacting info@nationalrtap.org.

Are you a small agency looking for a simple, effective way to manage your operations? RideSheet, a free and open-source web application, might be just what you need. National RTAP is seeking agencies to participate in a RideSheet Pilot Program. Join us to learn about RideSheet and explore the opportunity to use it for your agency. During the webinar, we will discuss the successful implementation of RideSheet in Lake County, Oregon, and how it can improve productivity and professionalism for rural providers. Register for the webinar on May 31, 2023, 2:00-3:30 PM ET.

On June 22, 2:00-3:00 PM, Sean Oswald, Chief of Operations and Director of Drug & Alcohol Initiatives RLS & Associates, Inc., will lead a webinar on U.S. DOT Drug & Alcohol Regulation Update (49 CFR Part 40) - Oral Fluid Drug Testing & More! U.S. DOT's Office of Drug & Alcohol Policy & Compliance published a final rule updating and changing 49 CFR Part 40, the regulation for U.S. DOT's drug and alcohol testing program. The changes are effective June 1, 2023. The webinar will cover what changes have occurred and how these updates will impact transit agencies' drug & alcohol testing programs and compliance.

On June 29, 2:00-3:00 PM ET, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute’s (TTI) Transit Mobility program will lead a Challenges and Successes with Shared‐Use Mobility in Rural, Frontier, and Tribal Areas Virtual Workshop focused on needs for transportation in rural, frontier, and Tribal areas along with ideas and examples for solutions to service challenges. The session is co-hosted by National RTAP and SUMC.

Our next State RTAP Manager Peer Roundtable will be held on July 18, 2023, 2:00-3:00 PM ET. This is an informal session for State RTAP Managers to meet with their peers for a discussion of issues of interest to them. One issue we will be discussing will be the implementation of and training on the new NTD GTFS requirements.

The next Learn about TACL training will be held on August 17, 2023, 2:00-3:00 PM ET. TACL, the Transportation Technical Assistance Coordination Library, helps rural and tribal transit agencies access information about public transportation coordination. The session will include a Resource Feature by Al Benedict and Nate Seeskin on SUMC's The Path to Mobility Interoperability.

Our Books in Transit Discussion Group has selected I Was Told It Would Get Easier by Abbi Waxman as our next book to read. A mother and daughter travel in a bus full of strangers for a college tour all along the east coast. Register for our meeting on August 22, 2023, 2:00-3:00 PM ET. The author will be joining us!

Get Ready for Rural Transit Day

Our fifth #RuralTransitDay Twitter Chat will be held July 14, 2023, 2:00-3:00 PM ET. (Rural Transit Day is always July 16, which is a Sunday this year.) This is an event where participants share thoughts about the benefits of rural transit, along with challenges and solutions. The chat will be moderated by Stephanie Lewis, Instructional/Multimedia Project Manager, Florida RTAP, Paula Smith, Executive Director, Tri River Transit, and National RTAP staff. RSVP for an invite.

We added a new section to our Rural Transit Day webpage. Click on the "Ideas for Rural Transit Day Celebrations" button in the top righthand section of the page for ways to honor your staff and riders and celebrate with your community.

Florida RTAP Bulletin Cites National RTAP Resources

The Spring 2023 Florida RTAP newsletter discusses several National RTAP resources: Transportation to Scenic Destinations Best Practices Spotlight, our upcoming Rural Transit Day Twitter Chat, and others included in their updated Florida Small and Rural Transit Agency Bus Operator Training Program.
National RTAP Review Board Member Spotlight - Jeremy Bell

National RTAP Review Board Vice Chair Jeremy Bell joined our board in 2020. He is the Director of Choctaw Transit, the transit agency for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. He learned his native language as a child and still has a working knowledge of Choctaw.  He is a staunch believer in training at all levels and states, “Learn as much as you can because a fully trained staff will advance your business and help everyone in our community.” Read more about Jeremy.

National RTAP Participation in Upcoming Conferences

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

National RTAP Mobility Management Topic Guide Updated

National RTAP continues our annual Topic Guide updates with our Mobility Management Topic Guide. New resources include:

Washington DOT Issues Notice of Funding Opportunity for RTAP Funding

Washington DOT has published a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) with comprehensive, easy-to-understand application instructions for Washington RTAP funding and scholarships for the years 2023-2025. The NOFO lists eligible expenses and provides examples of training events. The document also includes Title VI and ADA notices in multiple languages.

Customer Service Excellence Word Search Answers Published

Our last edition of eNews included a new Customer Service Excellence Word Search puzzle. Julie Zietlow, Transportation Coordinator for TSE Inc. in Maplewood, MN, was the first person to submit the correct answer and won our contest. We published the answers to the word search.

URSTA Includes National RTAP Resource Center on its Website

The Utah Urban Rural Specialized Transit Association (URSTA) provides a webpage with access to the National RTAP Resource Library and a National RTAP Website Tour video. URSTA used our Resource Library Widget Code, which is available at the bottom right corner of our Resource Library webpage.

Call for Presentations, Student Posters, and Tribal Champions and Systems Awards for the National RTAP 2023 Conference

The deadline has been extended to May 31, 2023 for the Call for Presentations for our 5th Rural and Tribal Transit Technical Assistance Conference: Navigating the Tides of Change, which will take place on December 3-6, 2023 in Myrtle Beach, SC. Students are also invited to submit a poster by October 6, 2023. Students must be able to present posters in-person on December 3, 2023.

The National RTAP Tribal Transit Champions and Systems Awards honor innovation, efficiency, commitment, and performance in tribal transit. Awards will be presented at the conference. The deadline is October 20, 2023.
U.S. DOT and FTA Updates
On May 02, 2023, U.S. DOT published an updated version of 49 CFR Part 40 (The USDOT Drug & Alcohol Testing Regulation). The changes will become effective on June 1, 2023. The Summary of Changes webpage lists changes for employees, employers, third-party administrators, collectors, and other stakeholders.

The U.S. DOT Equitable Transportation Community (ETC) Explorer is an interactive web application that uses 2020 Census Tracts and data, to explore the cumulative burden communities experience, as a result of underinvestment in transportation, in the following components: transportation insecurity, climate and disaster risk burden, environmental burden, health vulnerability, and social vulnerability.

The FTA Outstanding Achievement Award for Excellence in Environmental Document Preparation seeks to promote the efficient development of useful environmental documents. The award recognizes environmental documents that exemplify best practices for a well-managed environmental documentation process, comply with prevailing requirements and expectations, and achieve the objective of paperwork reduction. Applications are being accepted through June 30, 2023.
Webinars and Training
National RTAP is a community partner of the Center for Transportation and Environment's (CTE) 2023 Zero Emission Bus Conference, which will take place on September 26-28 in San Diego, CA. Register and join other industry leaders in supporting the transition to zero-emission.

National Center for Applied Transit Technology (N-CATT) offers a course on GIS Tools for Transit Analysis and Map-Making. This workshop is geared toward transit agency staff with little to no previous GIS experience who want to use GIS for analysis or map-making but may not have the resources to use a paid GIS program.
Publications
National Center for Applied Transit Technology's (N-CATT) factsheet on Leveraging Social Media for Transit Communications describes the major social media platforms in use today, their potential uses by transit agencies, and their limitations.

Researchers from San Jose State University's Mineta Transportation Institute published a brief on Free Transit: It All Depends on How. Several models are discussed: off-peak fareless transit, fareless transit and priced roads, and fareless transit as part of universal basic mobility. The study concluded that all these models have merit and developing the right combination requires a clear understanding of the goals transportation leaders are trying to achieve.

CTAA's Looking Beyond FTA: Some Transportation Programs of Note Under the New Infrastructure Law introduces funding programs including the Transportation Alternatives Program (TA), Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ), and others, with a summary, transit relevance, and where to find further information.

TCRP's The Impacts of Vehicle Automation on the Public Transportation Workforce provides an analysis of the possible impacts of automation on the public transportation workforce. Jobs this report found to be directly affected by transit automation include bus operators, dispatchers, controllers, mechanics, maintenance technicians, and cleaners.
Databases and Tools
The Office of Management and Budget and the Council on Environmental Quality's Environmental Justice Scorecard is a government-wide assessment of what the federal government is doing to advance environmental justice. The scorecard reports on the progress of 24 federal agencies, including U.S. DOT.

My Street is a research tool developed by FHWA for agencies to analyze roads for pedestrian crash risk and create visuals of potential crossing countermeasures.

The National Technical Information Service acquires, indexes, abstracts, and archives the largest collection of U.S. government-sponsored technical reports in existence. The National Technical Reports Library (NTRL) offers online, free and open access to these authenticated government technical reports. A search for "rural transit" full-text reports listed 59,554 results.

Google has a dataset search that lets users discover datasets hosted in thousands of repositories across the Internet. A search for transit displays data on daily transit ridership, public transit routes, GTFS, public transit station accessibility, and additional datasets.
Opportunities
Between August 21 to Sept. 10, 2023, National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC) will host a National Symposium for local communities to bring together transportation and disability, equity, and inclusion stakeholders. The Symposium will include a national meeting and community meetings held in different parts of the country. NADTC is seeking six communities to serve as local conveners. Applications will be accepted through June 5, 2023.

METRO Magazine is accepting submissions for the 2023 Innovative Solution Awards. Applications can be submitted either by the operator or the solutions provider and are open to bus operators including public transit, paratransit, motorcoach, and shuttle services. The deadline is June 15, 2023.

The TCRP Transit Capacity and Quality of Service Manual (TCQSM) contains information about transit capacity and quality of service principles and practices. Researchers are conducting a survey through June 9, 2023 to understand the extent to which individuals use the TCQSM, how they use it, and what they would like to see in the 4th Edition.

The Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program Notice of Funding Opportunity closing date has been extended to June 13, 2023.

The USDA Empowering Rural America (New ERA) grant program helps rural electric cooperatives transition to clean, affordable, and reliable energy. The application window is open from July 31 through August 31, 2023. The USDA Rural Energy for America Program Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Loans & Grants program provides guaranteed loan financing and grant funding to rural small businesses for renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. Applications are ongoing.

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) is providing funding for Promoting Positive Employment Outcomes Among People with Disabilities who are Experiencing Long-COVID. The application deadline is July 10, 2023.

NextFifty's Advancing Innovation in Aging grants will fund project-based support for new and/or existing innovative projects or initiatives aiming to better the lives of older adults and organizations seeking to expand services into the aging space for the first time. The deadline to apply is June 21, 2023.

The ChargeX Consortium is a new effort led by U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories that will work to rapidly develop solutions that ensure a reliable charging experience. Organizations are invited to express their interest in joining the Consortium by emailing chargex@inl.gov.

The Call for Papers for the 2024 TRB Annual Meeting is open. To submit a Call for Papers by May 25, 2023, log into MyTRB, find the Annual Meeting tab, and then go to the Calls for Papers tab.

Smart Growth America, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Equitable Cities, New Urban Mobility Alliance, and America Walks have created the Community Connectors grant program to help advance locally driven projects that will reconnect communities separated or harmed by transportation infrastructure and tap available federal and state funds to support them. Applications are due July 15, 2023.
Legislation
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing new, more stringent emissions standards for criteria pollutants and greenhouse gases for light-duty vehicles and Class 2b and 3 medium-duty vehicles, new standards to control refueling emissions from incomplete medium-duty vehicles, and battery durability and warranty requirements for light and medium-duty plug-in vehicles. Comments must be received by July 5, 2023.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) proposes to require security-sensitive employees of certain public transportation operators to undergo a security threat assessment that includes an immigration check and terrorism watchlist check to determine whether the applicant may pose a security threat. Comments are due by August 21, 2023.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), and Mexico's La Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO) are undertaking a two-year regional assessment of biodiversity and climate change, culminating in the first-ever assessment report addressing these two challenges together for the U.S., Canada, Mexico, U.S. territories, and freely associated states. The public is invited to comment on the draft prospectus for the assessment by July 7, 2023.

The National Emergency Medical Transportation Accreditation Commission® (NEMTAC®) requests public comment for Draft Standard 1001, NEMT Levels of Service, through June 18, 2023. The standard proposes to define NEMT curb-to-curb service, door-to-door service, door-through-door service, and other levels of service.
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 6 for Hawaii.

Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) and Oklahoma Transit Association
Oklahoma City, OK, May 20-25
Please visit our booth!

U.S. DOT and FTA
Oklahoma City, OK and Virtual, May 24-25, 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
We are participating

Build America Center
May 25, 12:00 PM

National RTAP
May 25, 1:00-1:30 PM
No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National Advisory Committee on Seniors and Disasters (NACSD)
May 25, 1:00 PM

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 
May 25, 1:00-2:00 PM

U.S. DOT
May 25, 2:00 PM

ADRC, ACL, and RTI International
May 25, 3:00-4:00 PM

Eno Center for Transportation
May 26, 1:30-2:15 PM

Abilities Centre
May 30, 9:30-11:30 AM 

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), and Mexico's La Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO)
May 30, 3:00-4:30 PM

Intelligent Transport
May 31, 2:00 AM

National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC) 
May 31, 12:00-12:45 ET

National Center for Rural Road Safety
May 31, 1:00-2:30 PM

U.S. DOT
May 31, 2:00 PM

National RTAP
May 31, 2:00-3:00 PM

U.S. Census Bureau
May 31, 2:00-3:00 PM

TRB 
June 1, 12:00-1:30 PM

National RTAP
June 1, 1:00-1:30 PM
No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), and Mexico's La Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO)
June 1, 5:30-7:00 PM

UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies
Burlington, VT, and Virtual, June 4, 9:00 AM - June 8, 1:00 PM

University of Arizona Center for Rural Health
Flagstaff, AZ, June 5, 1:00-6:00 PM

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), and Mexico's La Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO)
June 5, 2:00-3:30 PM

Self Advocacy Resource and Technical Assistance Center (SARTAC)
June 5, 4:00-5:00 PM

Pennyslvania Public Transportation Association (PPTA)
Lancaster, PA, June 5-7

CDC, CSTLTS, and NNPHI
June 5-7
We are presenting!

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 
June 6, 1:00-2:00 PM

TRB 
June 6, 2:00-3:30 PM

N-CATT 
June 6 and June 8, 2023, 2:30-5:00 PM

FHWA
June 7, 1:00-3:00 PM

Elder Justice Coordinating Council (EJCC)
June 8, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

National RTAP
June 8, 1:00-1:30 PM
No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC)
June 8, 1:00-2:00 PM

TRB  
June 8, 1:00-2:30 PM

National Transit Institute
June 8, 2:00-3:30 PM

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), and Mexico's La Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO)
June 8, 5:30-7:00 PM


Drug and Alcohol Testing Institute
Colorado Springs, CO, June 12-13

TRB 
June 13, 1:00-2:30 PM

National RTAP
June 13, 2:00-3:00 PM

White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council
Phoenix, AZ and Virtual, June 13-15

Intelligent Transport
June 14, 12:00 PM

National RTAP
June 15, 1:00-1:30 PM
No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National RTAP
June 15, 2:00-3:15 PM

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 
June 15, 3:00-4:00 PM

Q'STRAINT Training Academy
June 22, 12:00 PM

National RTAP
June 22, 1:00-1:30 PM
No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National RTAP
June 22, 2:00-3:00 PM

Self-Governance Communication and Education Tribal Consortium (SGCETC)
Tulsa, OK, June 26-29

TRB 
June 28, 3:00-4:30 PM

National RTAP
June 29, 1:00-1:30 PM
No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) Transit Mobility Program, Co-hosted by National RTAP and SUMC
June 29, 2:00-3:30 PM

National RTAP
July 6, 1:00-1:30 PM
No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National Transit Institute
July 6, 2:00-3:30 PM

Conference Of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO)
Los Angeles, CA, July 8-11

FTA
Boston, MA, July 9, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Q'STRAINT Training Academy
July 11, 12:00 PM

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
New Orleans, LA, July 11-12

National RTAP
July 13, 1:00-1:30 PM
No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

USAging 
Salt Lake City, UT, July 16-19

National RTAP
July 20, 1:00-1:30 PM
No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

TRB
Richmond, VA, July 23-26

U.S. Access Board 
U.S. Access Board Public Town Hall Meeting
Baltimore, MD, July 25, 1:30-3:30
Register to events@access-board.gov by July 1, 2023

National RTAP
July 27, 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