National RTAP received over 40 entries in this year's photo contest, with the theme of "Reaching Your Riders: Getting the Word Out About Your Transit System." We chose two winners and several honorable mentions from a excellent pool of photographs. Congratulations to Columbia County Public Transportation of Dayton, WA, and Pullman Transit of Pullman, WA for taking home first and second places, respectively. View the winning photos and honorable mentions here.

Thank you to everyone who participated!

The National Rural Transit Assistance Program (National RTAP) is soliciting nominations for National Review Board members. The deadline for submitting nomination forms is August 22nd. 

National RTAP has three upcoming vacancies on the National RTAP Review Board for state transit officials, and one for a rural or tribal transit provider. The term of office is for three years beginning in the fall of 2014. Section 5311 or RTAP managers and representatives of a transit provider that receives 5311 or Tribal Transit Program funds are eligible to be nominated. Any group or individual involved in rural transit is encouraged to nominate a representative to the Board. An individual may also nominate him/herself for consideration. For more information about the responsibilities of Review Board members and the selection process, please see the nomination form.

National RTAP is preparing to release Website Builder Version 2 on August 25th. Save the date for a webinar at 3PM on the 25th that will go through new features of the web app, and how to build a website using it. This webinar pertains to anyone who doesn't already have a live website using National RTAP's Website Builder. 

Stay tuned for registration details, to be mailed next Monday!

 

Bus and Bus Facilities Formula Program Proposed Circular is available for comment.

 

Updated information on the 5309 Bus and Bus Facilities (Ladders of Opportunity) Program on FTA's website. 

Maintaining Transit Effectiveness Under Major Financial Constraints presents case studies for transit agencies who have increased cost-effectiveness in the face of financial constraint.

Understanding and Modeling Bus Transit Driver Availability, a report from Mineta Transit Institute that includes formulas for hiring the correct number of extraboard operators to account for absences by regular drivers.

METRO Magazine article about the advantages of hiring a contractor for your transit system.