eNews - July 3, 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

Registration and Agenda Available for National RTAP 2025 Technical Assistance Conference

Upcoming National RTAP Webinar - ProcurementPRO: Tools and Tactics

Updated National RTAP Travel Training Best Practices Spotlight Article

FTA Changes to Regulations on Charter, Capital Investment Projects, TAM, and More

U.S. DOT Revisions to National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Implementing Procedures

Registration and Agenda Available for National RTAP 2025 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. The Registration and Agenda and Vendor Prospectus are now available.

Once you register for the conference, you will have the option in the registration form to reserve a room at the Hyatt Regency Austin through our room block.

A detailed agenda with the names of the presenters is coming soon!

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 photo 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.  

Following that, we will work through a couple of live procurement scenarios to understand how to access and use ProcurementPRO.

FTA published the following rules in the Federal Register on July 1, 2025:

1. Updates to regulations on FTA's organization, functions, and procedures (effective July 1, 2025)
2. Changes to the regulations that govern the provision of charter service by recipients of federal financial assistance and removal of certain financial assistance programs (effective July 31, 2025)
3. Revisions to Capital Investment Projects regulations and removal of outdated evaluation measures (effective July 1, 2025)
4. Revisions to school bus operations regulations, including regulations related to operating public transportation equipment or a public transportation facility (effective July 1, 2025)
5. Removal of the initial TAM Plan implementation deadline (which has passed) from FTA’s Transit Asset Management (TAM) regulation (effective July 1, 2025)
6. Rescinding of the FTA regulation on Transportation for Elderly and Handicapped Persons (effective July 1, 2025)
7. Withdrawal of its Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking from October 30, 2023 concerning minimum safety standards to address fatigue-related safety incidents (effective July 1, 2025)

On June 30, 2025, U.S. DOT published Joint FHWA, FRA, and FTA procedures on National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) implementation. Key changes include enforceable deadlines and page limits for environmental studies. On U.S. DOT also published a draft Procedures for Considering Environmental Impacts document.

The Flexible Funding Process Guidebook by FHWA and FTA helps project sponsors maximize their resources by detailing how to transfer some FHWA funds to support public transportation projects and how the funds can be transferred and administered alongside FTA grants. 

U.S. DOT is requesting public comments through July 24, 2025 on an extension of its information collection on Improving Customer Experience.

U.S. DOT plans to address regulatory offenses with criminal liability. In consultation with the Attorney General, U.S. DOT will provide to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and post on the U.S. DOT website, a report containing a list of all criminal regulatory offenses enforceable by U.S. DOT or the Department of Justice, along with penalties.

FTA and the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center published Transit State of Good Repair: National Backlog Analysis. The report indicates that the nation’s essential public transit systems face a $140.2 billion backlog of needed infrastructure improvements, repairs, or upgrades to ensure they operate safely and efficiently.

The Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility Technical Assistance Center (CCAM-TAC) is holding a CCAM-TAC Community Transportation Provider & Policy Map Webinar on July 10, 2025 at 1:30 PM ET. This webinar will showcase the latest updates to the CCAM-TAC Community Transportation Provider Map and its integration with PolicyMap.

The Transit Workforce Center (TWC) is holding an ATTAIN Bus Operator Mentorship and Apprenticeship Webinar on July 23, 2025 at 1:00 PM ET. There will be presentations from transit peers across the country on their apprenticeship programs, and participants can engage in an interactive discussion about how these programs are developed and work.

In its technical assistance help sheet on Hot Weather Impacts on Battery-Electric Transit Buses, the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation provides explanations and guidance for preparing for expected hot weather conditions and incorporating appropriate safeguards for their battery-electric buses. Tips include understanding range impacts, utilizing battery preconditioning, and providing cover and shade for bus storage and charging equipment.

NCHRP's Development of Guidelines for Vehicle and Equipment Marking and Lighting presents proposed guidelines for vehicle and equipment color, marking, and lighting practices. For example, retroreflective vehicle markings could be used to enhance driver detection.

TCRP's Tactile Wayfinding in Transportation Settings for Travelers Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired describes the technical specifications for the selection, usability, installation, and maintenance of tactile wayfinding in multimodal environments. Tactile wayfinding can provide a set of touchable surfaces that guide a person to all designated focus areas in the system, such as from station entrances to platform edges.

CCAM-TAC's Wheels to Care: Navigating NEMT presents a non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) profile for each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Profiles include a general description of the state’s Medicaid structure and NEMT model, Medicaid recipient NEMT protocol and requirements to access transportation, and additional information.

PolicyMap allows users to see the service areas of FTA-funded transportation available in rural, urban, and tribal areas, for seniors, individuals with disabilities, areas with volunteer drivers, and/or mobility management programs. Data from the Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility Technical Assistance Center's (CCAM-TAC) Community Transportation Provider Map has been integrated into PolicyMap.

Smart Growth America provides an interactive chart for the Top Ten Complete Streets Policies, based on the 10 Elements of a Complete Streets Policy. Rural communities include Clyde and Bluffton, Ohio.

ChargeLab's Open-source embedded software for EV chargers, OpenOCPP, is an implementation of the Open Charge Point Protocol. The pre-certified embedded software stack supports both OCPP 1.6J and 2.0.1.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) updated its National Transportation Statistics (NTS), with new data on the performance of the physical transportation network and infrastructure, accidents, crashes, fatalities, and injuries for each transportation mode, transportation's impact on the economy, and other data.  

The 2025 Digital Cities Survey from the Center for Digital Government allows all U.S. cities, towns, and villages to evaluate current operations, achievements from the past year, and future plans. The survey results provide a benchmarking tool to compare technology priorities, operations, accomplishments, and plans with those of other cities across various dimensions. The survey submission deadline is July 23, 2025.

The Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility Technical Assistance Center's (CCAM-TAC) Direct On-Site Technical Assistance program offers communities a one-day facilitated opportunity to brainstorm strategies for overcoming persistent obstacles in solving transportation issues. 

The FHWA Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) program provides flexible funding that may be used by states and localities for projects to preserve and improve the conditions and performance of any federal-aid transit capital projects, including intercity bus terminals. The STBG program funding is made available through the state transportation agencies. If an entity believes they have a project that may be eligible under the STBG program, they should contact their State DOT.

The Best Workplaces for Commuters is accepting applications through November 30, 2025. Employers, universities, colleges, commercial sites, and residential communities can apply for national recognition.

Colusa Indian Energy is offering a Social & Economic Development Strategies (SEDS) grant through July 22, 2025. The grant will fund community-driven projects, including energy planning strategies, growing local economies, and supporting community-based businesses through sustainable energy initiatives.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) plans to remove most of its regulations for procedures to implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) from the Code of Federal Regulations. This Interim Final Rule revises DOE's regulations containing its NEPA implementing procedures. The public will have the opportunity to comment once the Rule is published in the Federal Register.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) issued a Temporary Placement of Seven Benzimidazole-Opioids in Schedule I, effective June 26, 2025. The drugs that were placed are Ethyleneoxynitazene, Methylenedioxynitazene, 5-Methyl Etodesnitazene, N-Desethyl Etonitazene, N-Desethyl Protonitazene, N,N-Dimethylamino Etonitazene, and N-Pyrrolidino Isotonitazene.

The Department of Labor (DOL) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to remove undue regulatory burdens on registered apprenticeship program sponsors. Comments may be submitted by September 2, 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).

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

July 3, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

Great Lakes ADA Center

From Standards to Support: Understanding the Access Board’s Role in Accessibility Webinar

July 3, 2:30-4:00 PM

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

Public Hearing for Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Program

July 8, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Register by email at RFS-Hearing@epa.gov by July 1, 2025

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

July 8, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

Disability Employment Technical Assistance Center (DETAC)

Celebrating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): How Assistive Technology (AT) Supports Daily Life and Work Webinar

July 8, 3:00 PM

AARP

Addressing Transportation Challenges Webinar

July 8, 3:00-4:00 PM

Self Advocacy Resource and Technical Assistance Center (SARTAC)

Plain Language Webinar

July 8, 4:00 PM

National Transit Institute

Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-Making

Richmond, VA, July 8-10

FTA

FTA Drug and Alcohol One-Day Training Seminar

Cambridge, MA, July 9, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

New

U.S. Access Board 

U.S. Access Board Town Hall Meeting 

New Orleans, LA and Livestreamed, July 9, 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM

Southwest Transit Association (SWTA)

Inbox Zero - From Chaos to Control Webinar

July 10, 12:00-1:00 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

July 10, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

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

CCAM-TAC Community Transportation Provider & Policy Map Webinar

July 10, 1:30 PM

National RTAP

The Road to Multimodal Connectivity: Shaping the New Future of Public Transportation

July 10, 2:00-3:00 PM

New

Active Enviro

Somebody Should... Nurturing a Culture of Possibility: Big Ideas for All-Sized Agencies Web Convening

July 10, 3:30 - 5:00 PM

New

TRB

TRB’s Workshop on Transportation Law

Washington, DC, July 13-16

FTA

FTA Drug and Alcohol Training Seminar

Missoula, MT, July 14-15, 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM

New

Association of Mobility Managers (AMM)

The Energy Bus: 10 Rules for the Ride of Your Life Webinar

July 15, 12:00 PM

New

Accessible Transportation Resource Center (ATRC)

ATRC Office Hours: Sidewalk Accessibility Challenges and Promising Practices

July 15, 1:00 PM

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

July 15, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National Association of Development Organizations (NADO)

2025 National Regional Transportation Conference

Des Moines, IA, July 15-17, 2025

Please stop by our table!

New

RideHumboldt

North State Transit Symposium

Fortuna, CA, July 15-17

We're participating

New

UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies

ITS Asilomar 2025

Pacific Grove, CA, July 15-18

National RTAP

Rural Transit Day "The Art of Transit" Chat Prequel

July 16, 1:00-2:00 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the prequel

National RTAP

Rural Transit Day Facebook Live Chat

July 16, 2:00-3:00 PM

FORTH

EVAL Office Hours: Session 14

July 16, 2:00 PM

New

U.S. DOT

United States Department of Transportation Advisory Board Public Meeting

Washington, DC and Online, July 16, 2:00 PM 

New

TRB 

Activating Organizational Change to Build Agency Capabilities Webinar

July 17, 12:00-1:30 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

July 17, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

FTA

FTA Drug and Alcohol Training Seminar

Billings, MT, July 17-18

USAging

Answers on Aging 2025

Chicago, IL, July 20-23

NLTAPA

National TTAP/LTAP Conference

Kansas City, MO, July 20-24

Please visit our booth!

National Transit Institute

Transit Academy

Pittsburgh, PA, July 21-25

Bobit

Fleet Forward: The Tour

Irvine, CA, July 22

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

July 22, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

Transit Workforce Center (TWC)

ATTAIN Bus Operator Mentorship and Apprenticeship Webinar

July 23, 1:00 PM

Access Ingenuity

Part 2: Converting Accessible Microsoft Word Files into PDFs — Cleaning Tags and Final Fixes in Adobe Acrobat Digital Accessibility Webinar

July 23, 1:00-2:00 PM

New

National RTAP

ProcurementPRO: Tools and Tactics

July 24, 12:00-1:00 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

July 24, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

Native Learning Center

Simplified and Streamlined Environmental Reviews for Tribal Projects Webinar

July 24, 1:00-2:30 PM 

No preregistration necessary. Join at the time of the webinar.

New

Mississippi Department of Transportation

Mississippi 2025 Transportation Coordination Summit

Jackson, MS, July 24-25

We're presenting!

LPTA & SWTA

2025 LPTA & SWTA Summer U Joint Conference & EXPO

New Orleans, LA, July 27-30

Please visit our booth!

Self Advocacy Resource and Technical Assistance Center (SARTAC)

Easy Read Text Webinar

July 28, 4:00 PM

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

July 29, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National RTAP

State RTAP Manager Peer Roundtable

July 29, 2:00-3:00 PM

Association of Travel Instruction (ATI)

ATI Annual Conference

Quincy, MA, July 29-31

Please visit our booth!

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

July 31, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

Self Advocacy Resource and Technical Assistance Center (SARTAC)

Easy Read Icons Webinar

August 4, 4:00 PM

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

August 5, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC)

Empowering Mobility Together: FTA Section 5310 Webinar

August 5, 3:00 PM 

National Transit Institute

Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-Making

Minneapolis, MN, August 5-7

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

August 7, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National Transit Institute

NTD Report Declarations, Certifications, and Common Requests Webinar

August 7, 2:00-3:30 PM

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

August 12, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National Transit Institute

NTD Reporting Fundamentals Webinar

August 12, 2:00-3:30

National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC)

Empowering Mobility Together: FTA Section 5310 Webinar

August 12, 3:00 PM 

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

August 14, 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

August 14, 1:00-5:00 PM

New

National Association of Motorcoach Operators (NAMO)

NAMO 2025 Annual Conference & Marketplace

Williamsburg, VA, August 17-20

National Transit Institute

Enhancing Your Transit Asset Management Program with Lifecycle Management Online Course

August 18-20, 1:00-4:30 PM

Transportation Association of South Carolina (TASC)

TASC 2025 Annual Conference and Expo

Myrtle Beach, SC, August 19-21

Please visit our booth!

New

Community Transportation Association of Virginia (CTAV)

2025 CTAV Conference and Expo

Roanoke, VA, August 19-21

We're participating!

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

August 19, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE)

TOM Talks

August 19, 1:00-2:30 PM

National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE)

TMS Emerging Topics Series: AI and Machine Learning for Performing TMS Functions

August 20, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

August 21, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Accreditation Commission (NEMTAC) 

NEMTAC Transform 2025 Annual Conference

Dallas, TX, August 24-26

Please visit our table!

ITS America

ITS World Congress 2025

Atlanta, GA, August 24-28

New

North American Association of Transportation Safety & Health Officials, Inc. (NAATSHO)

NAATSHO Conference

Cody, WY, August 24-28

New

Iowa State University Institute for Transportation

15th National Conference on Transportation Asset Management

Chicago, IL, August 25-28

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

August 26, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

National Transit Institute

2025 Annual NTD Reporting Clarifications Webinar

August 26, 2:00-3:30 PM

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

August 27, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

September 2, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont Transportation Associations

Tri-State Transit Conference

Portland, ME, September 3-5

We're presenting and exhibiting!

New

MPTA/IPTA/KPTA

2025 Midwest Transit Conference

Kansas City, MO, September 3-5

Please visit our booth!

New

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

September 4, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

September 9, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

Utah Urban Rural Specialized Transit Association (URSTA)

URSTA Conference and Roadeo

St. George, UT, September 10-13

Please visit our booth!

New

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

September 11, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

American Public Transportation Association (APTA)

APTA Transform

Boston, MA, September 14-17

New

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

September 16, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

September 18, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

National Transportation in Indian Country (NTICC)

NTICC 2025

Gila, River AZ, September 21-25

We're presenting and exhibiting!

New

Bobit Business Media

Public Transit & Technology Exchange

Scottsdale, AZ, September 22-24

New

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

September 23, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

National RTAP

GTFS Office Hours

September 25, 1:00-1:30 PM

No preregistration necessary - join at the time of the meeting

New

National RTAP

Website Builder Office Hours

September 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. To submit an event, email info@nationalrtap.org.

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