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GAO Report on Rural and Tribal Transit
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) came out with a report on the Formula Grants for Rural Areas Program. The GAO found that types of transit services offered by recipients and sub-recipients of this program remained about the same, while ridership increased by 4%, and operating costs by 19%, from 2009-2012. Interviewed transit operators reported a number of challenges, such as hiring and retention of drivers, and securing local and state funding. The report also addresses the changes that came about under MAP-21 for tribal transit systems who received either more or less funding than in years prior.
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July 15th Deadline for Photo Contest
Please consider submitting a photo or two to our 2014 Photo Contest! We have excellent prizes, including a camera and gift cheque. As always, there's the chance for your photo to appear in one of our publications, or on our website.
National RTAP's Photo Contest theme this year is Reaching Your Riders: Getting the Word Out About Your Transit Services. Photos should reflect the ways that you market your transit system to the community. For more information, including great prizes, contest rules, and a link to the photo release form, please visit our Photo Contest Page. Entries are due July 15th, 2014 to info@nationalrtap.org, and must include all necessary documentation.
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Wanted: Your Rural Transportation Grant Success Stories
We occasionally receive requests for success stories about transportation agencies who have used federal rural transportation funds to enhance or start successful services and initiatives. Does your agency have a story like this? Email info@nationalrtap.org to give us a synopsis of your success story!
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Resources and News
Reports and Journals
AARP Public Policy Institute Spotlight on Reconnecting Small-Town American by Bus. This evaluation of rural Washington State's push to create public-private partnerships to restore rural intercity bus service also comes with a video.
Compare different local funding sources using the information in Evaluating Public Transportation Local Funding Options from the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, an article that appeared in the Journal of Public Transportation. The authors found that a variety of funding options are best, as no one option is cost-effective and easy to implement.
Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Legal Research Digest 45: Transit Public-Private Partnerships: Legal Issues discusses legal issues around transit public-private partnership (PPP) agreements, including why PPPs should be used in certain cases, legal barriers that PPPs may confront, and funding of PPPs for transit projects and facilities.
Announcements
TRIPTAC (Transit in the Parks Technical Assistance Center) is closing at the end of this month, but their resources will still be available on a new website, to come out very soon. We'll keep you updated as to when it's live.
Blogs
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RIBTC Conference Early Bird Rate to end July 20th
We hope you will join us at the upcoming Rural Public and Intercity Bus Conference in Monterey, CA, October 26-29th. Register for the conference at www.ribtc.org by July 20th to receive the early bird rate.
The conference is being held at the Monterey Plaza Hotel, which is sold out. However, there are additional rooms at the Victorian Inn for $149 a night (800-232-4141) and the Spindrift Inn for $169 a night (800-841-1879). For an ocean view room for $229 a night, call the Monterey Bay Inn (800-424-6242).
For more information about the conference please visit the Rural and Intercity Bus Transportation Conference website at www.ribtc.org.
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