eNews - January 30, 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

National RTAP Conference Seeks Sessions, Student Posters, Admin Support & Sponsors

Updated State RTAP Manager's Toolkit with 2024 State RTAP Manager's Survey Summary

New National RTAP Best Practices Spotlight Article on Fund Braiding

Updated FTA Third Party Contracting Guidance

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. Vendor registration will be coming soon.

We welcome presentations of interest to our audience of rural and tribal transit managers, rural and regional planners, intercity bus operators, State DOT, FTA, researchers, and others with an interest in rural or tribal transportation. Presentation 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.

Students are invited to submit a poster for the 6th National RTAP Conference to be shown on December 7, 2025 in Austin, TX. 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. 

We are also requesting proposals for administrative support for our conference.

If you are interested in conference sponsorship opportunities, please contact National RTAP Interim Assistant Director Karen Dumaine.

The primary audience for the Toolkit is State RTAPs, but rural and Tribal transit agencies can use it to find out what is available to them through their RTAP.

Thank you to FTA staff, Antionette Gray, AEH Transit Director, and Shirley Wilson, MDOT Public Transit Division Director, for contributions to and review of this article. Photo credit: AEH DARTS Driver Award

FTA updated its Third Party Contracting Guidance on January 16, 2025, which will become effective on February 18, 2025. This document governs how FTA grant recipients award and administer contracts to third-party subcontractors or vendors. The circular reflects statutory and regulatory changes and provides additional non-binding guidance.

FTA is establishing an Emergency Relief Docket for calendar year 2025, so grantees and subgrantees affected by a national or regional emergency or disaster may request temporary relief from FTA administrative and statutory requirements. 

FTA opened the application for its TAM program assessment. Interested agencies must apply by January 31, 2025. All transit agencies that receive FTA funding are eligible to apply except those that have recently participated in a TAM program assessment.

FTA published its January 2025 Transit Safety and Oversight Spotlight Newsletter. The issue includes information on an NHTSA Recall Notice for Certain NOVA Buses Wheelchair Securement Systems and FTA's response to General Directive 24-1, which required more than 700 transit agencies nationwide to submit information to FTA on how they are assessing, mitigating, and monitoring the safety risk associated with assaults on transit workers.

TAT (Truckers Against Trafficking) released a new video called You've Seen Us Before. The video shows the realities of human trafficking and the ease with which people might miss it if they’re not aware. This video, geared towards corporate/office employees, joins a library of TAT training materials for frontline transportation professionals. Email TAT to get a copy of the video or any of TAT's other free resources.

The ADA Guru is holding an ADA Compliance Seminar in Honolulu, HI from May 20-22, 2025. Training topics include key ADA compliance operating requirements for public transportation providers, understanding your role as an ADA compliance professional, and other topics.

An intermodal passenger facility is a transportation hub served by at least two modes of travel with at least one travel mode being air, rail, bus, or passenger vessel. TCRP/NCHRP's Intermodal Passenger Facility Planning and Decision-Making for Seamless Travel describes the state of the practice, emerging lessons, and recommended practices for how intermodal passenger facilities can meet the needs of users as new technologies emerge.

The Transit Workforce Center (TWC) published a case study on Mississippi’s Developing Responsible Individuals with Valuable Education (DRIVE) Program. The program began in 2020 as a collaboration between the Mississippi Home Corporation and the Mississippi Department of Transportation. The program includes job training and job placement in transit careers for individuals struggling with or at risk of homelessness.

TransitCenter provides recommendations for building up transit worker pipelines in its report on Developing Transit Talent Pipelines. The report covers federal, state, philanthropical, and agency-level actions that can be undertaken, with a particular focus on maintenance positions. The report also provides data on the lowest agency wages for apprentices and journeymen.

USAging worked with the Miami University Scripps Gerontology Center to publish the Supporting Native Elders in Their Communities: Title VI Native American Aging Programs and Services 2024 Chartbook. Topics covered include sources of transportation funding, Title VI programs, unmet needs for transportation, providers of transportation services for Elders, and other topics. For example, the Pueblo of Zuni's Zuni Senior Center provides transportation for the caregivers and Elders to medical appointments. 

The AARP Livable Communities Map enables search for a state, U.S. territory, county, city, or town with livable communities. Filters include age-friendly network domains, population size, and others.

Transcom Data Services provides a free MMC Network Transportation Information tool. Users can select bus and/or rail, then select bus carrier(s) to display a map of routes and/or stops for the carriers.

New Flyer provides a virtual tour of its Xcelsior CHARGE FC™ system and features so users can learn more about how a fuel cell-electric system works.

The National Assistive Technology Act Technical Assistance and Training (AT3) Center provides a Vendor Directory with clickable logos, such as Talking Keyboards and ReadSpeaker.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is accepting applications through April 18, 2025 for its Fiscal Year 2024 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. These funds will help state, local, Tribal, and territorial governments address high-level future risks to natural disasters, foster greater community resilience, and reduce disaster suffering.

The 2025 U.S. National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Catalyst Award Competition rewards bold, potentially transformative ideas to improve the well-being and health of people as they age, including transportation solutions. Applications will be accepted through March 4, 2025.

Applications are open through May 15, 2025 for the 2025 SeniorCare Aging Matters Scholarship. College scholarships will be awarded to individuals who best demonstrate why "Aging Matters" to them. Students who apply should work within the senior community or intend to pursue a career that will have an impact on the older adult population.

FHWA issued an update to the Build America, Buy America rule that rescinds a general applicability waiver for manufactured products and introduces a new 55% domestic content requirement for a number of construction materials. The final rule goes into effect on March 17, 2025, terminates FHWA’s general waiver for manufactured products on October 1, 2025, and implements the new 55% domestic content requirement on October 1, 2026. Note: this applies to FHWA federally funded projects, not FTA federally funded projects.

On January 11, 2025, multiple federal agencies published a General Applicability Waiver to Indian Tribes regarding Section 70914 of the Build America, Buy America Act (BABA). The waiver will apply through January 9, 2030, for Indian Tribes, including their governmental arms and instrumentalities, Tribal organizations, Tribal entities, and Native Hawaiian organizations, for all types of federal financial assistance.

The National Park Service (NPS) proposes a framework for the use of powered micromobility devices within the NPS. The proposed rule would define powered micromobility devices separately from motor vehicles, traditional bicycles, electric bicycles, and human powered coasting devices, and create rules for where and how they may be used in units of the National Park System. Examples of powered micromobility devices include electric scooters, hoverboards, and Segways. Comments must be received by March 17, 2025.

Effective March 17, 2025, Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain: Connected Vehicles is a Final Rule by the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security that will set forth regulations and procedures to address risks to national security posed by classes of transactions involving information and communications technology and services.

An Executive Action established a new Department of Government Efficiency to modernize federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity. Another Executive Action addresses energy, fuel, and electric vehicles. A third Executive Action revoked a number of previous Executive Orders and Actions. These Orders were enacted on January 20, 2025. Another Executive Action enacted on January 21, 2025 revoked Executive Actions focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

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).



National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

January 30, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

PennState

Preparedness in Rural Communities: National and State/Local Perspectives and Plans Virtual Mini-Symposium

January 30-31, 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

New

American Bus Association (ABA)

ABA Marketplace

Philadelphia, PA, January 31 - February 4

We're presenting!

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

2025 AASHTO Washington Briefing

Washington, DC, February 3-6

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

February 4, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

National Center for Rural Road Safety and NLTAPA Safety Work Group 

Non-traditional Funding for Rural & Tribal Transportation Agencies Webinar

February 4, 1:00-2:30 PM

New

National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC)

Enhancing Transparency: Best Practices for FTA Section 5310 Program Websites

February 4, 2:00 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

February 6, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

AASHTO

Practical Applications of AASHTOWare OpenAPI Webinar

February 6, 2:00 PM

National RTAP

What's New in the ADA Toolkit?

February 6, 2:00-3:00 PM

Transportation Energy Partners

Energy Independence Summit 2025

Washington, DC, February 10-13

NAFA Fleet Management Association

Essentials of Fleet Management Seminar

February 10-13

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

February 11, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP)

Program Sustainability Webinar

February 11, 2:00-3:00 PM

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

Section 30C Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit Public Hearing

Washington, DC, February 12, 2025, 10:00 AM

Transit Workforce Center (TWC)

Fuel Cell Bus (FCB) Familiarization Webinar for Transit Technicians Webinar

February 12, 1:00-2:30 PM

National Transit Institute

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

February 12, 1:00-4:30 PM

New

Eno Center for Transportation

Estimating Transportation Costs with Confidence - Lessons from Experts Webinar

February 12, 2:00-2:45 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

February 13, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

February 18, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

Southwest Transit Association (SWTA)

SWTA 2025 Annual Conference & Expo

Tucson, AZ, February 18-21

MnDOT's Office of Research & Innovation and the Minnesota Local Road Research Board 

Research Radar: Sustainable Transportation Solutions Webinar

February 20, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

February 20, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National RTAP

Books in Transit Discussion Group Meeting - The Lost Ticket

February 20, 2:00-3:00 PM

United Motorcoach Association (UMA)

UMA Motorcoach Expo

Oklahoma City, OK, February 20-23

American Public Transportation Association (APTA)

APTA Marketing, Communications & Customer Experience Workshop

Long Beach, CA, February 23-26

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

February 25, 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

February 26, 1:00-4:30 PM

New

U.S. DOT

The New Behavioral Science of Mode Choice Webinar

February 26, 2:00 PM

Portland State University

Mobility Matters 2025

February 27, 11:30 AM - 6:00 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

February 27, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

March 4, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

FHWA

DANA/TNMAide Peer Exchange

March 4-5, 1:00-1:30 PM

National Transit Institute

Crisis Communications for Transit Managers Online Course

March 4-5, 1:00-4:30 PM

New

Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA)

CTAA Legislative Fly-In

Washington, D.C., March 5-7

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

March 6, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

Texas Transit Association (TTA)

TTA Annual State Conference, Expo, and Roadeo

McAllen, TX, March 7-12

We're participating

New

National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) and the Development District Association of Appalachia (DDAA) 

2025 NADO & DDAA Washington Conference

Arlington, VA, March 9-12

Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute, North Dakota State University

Ethics Virtual Learning

March 10, 2:00-4:00 PM

Registration deadline March 5, 2025

National Transit Institute

Procurement IV: Contract Administration Course

Birmingham, AL, March 10-13

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

March 11, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

World Bank and WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities

Transforming Transportation

Washington, DC, March 11-12

National Transportation Safety Board 

Automation In Transportation: Lessons For Safe Implementation Public Forum

Washington, DC, March 11-12

American Bus Association (ABA)

Empower Your Business With Purposeful Leadership Webinar

March 12, 2:00-3:00 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

March 13, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National Transit Institute

FTA Uniform Act Basics for Transit Agency Personnel Online Course

March 13, 1:00-5:00 PM

National RTAP

Employment-Focused Transit Manager Peer Roundtable

March 13, 2:00-3:00 PM

American Bus Association (ABA)

The Morality Matrix: Understanding Ethical Decision Making Webinar

March 14, 2:00-3:00 PM

American Public Transportation Association (APTA)

Legal Affairs Seminar

Phoenix, AZ, March 16-18

ActivEnviro

2025 Active Living Conference

Manhattan, KS, March 16-20

National Transit Institute

Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-Making Online Course

March 17-20, 1:00-5:00 PM

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

March 18, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

American Bus Association (ABA)

Women in Buses Meet & Eat Virtual Event

March 19, 1:00 PM 

New

U.S. DOT

Nature-Based Solutions for Transportation Resilience Webinar

March 19, 2:00 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

March 20, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

National RTAP

Spring into New National RTAP Resources

March 20, 2:00-3:00 PM

American Public Transportation Association (APTA)

Transit CEOs Seminar

San Antonio, TX, March 21-23

National Transit Institute

Introduction to Transit Service Planning Online Course

March 24-27, 1:00-5:00 PM

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

March 25, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

Safe, Efficient, Affordable Transportation (SEAT)

Small Operator's Summit

Perrysville, OH, March 25-26

We're presenting

National Environmental Justice Conference, Inc. (NEJC)

2025 National Environmental Justice Conference and Training Program 

Washington, DC, March 25-27

New

Alaska Tribal Transportation Work Group (ATTWG)

21st Annual Alaska Tribal Transportation Symposium

Anchorage, AK, March 25-27

We're presenting

National Transit Institute

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

March 26, 1:00-4:30 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

March 27, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National Transit Institute

Introduction to Transit Service Planning Online Course

March 31 - April 3, 1:00-5:00 PM

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