eNews Header
National RTAP Soliciting Applications for Technical Assistance Projects

National RTAP is soliciting technical assistance projects from rural and tribal transportation programs. To read more about the types of projects we are looking for, as well as other specifics, please read our news article.  

Submit your preliminary application via this link. The online application is set up so that you can access it multiple times until the application period is over. All applications are due at 12:00 PM EST on Friday, February 27, 2015. 

If you have any questions please contact Robin Phillips, National RTAP Executive Director, at rphillips@nationalrtap.org or 781-697-7194.
Visit the Website for National RTAP's 2015 Conference: Reaching New Heights in Rural and Tribal Transit

National RTAP will be hosting our second Technical Assistance Conference in Denver, CO from October 27-30, 2015. Reaching New Heights in Rural and Tribal Transit will be packed with sessions on how to write the policies and plans you need, overviews of transit and state program management, and questions and answers with experts in the field. Come to Denver and step up your game! 
Easter Seals Project ACTION is now Easter Seals Project Action Consulting

As of December 31, 2014, Easter Seals' cooperative agreement with the Federal Transit Administration to provide training, resources, research, and outreach on accessible transportation formally ended. Despite the change in program status, Easter Seals will keep the www.projectaction.org website live so that you can view and download our publications. For the immediate future, Easter Seals will maintain a toll-free technical assistance number at (800) 659-6428 and provide free technical assistance.

Easter Seals, Inc. will provide webinars, in-person and distance learning events, and customized training on a a contractual basis through Easter Seals Project Action Consulting (ESPAC). Whether your interests are the Americans with Disabilities Act, customer service, community planning, or accessible paths of travel, we can provide or recommend the tools you need.

To find out more about Easter Seals Project Action Consulting offerings, visit www.projectaction.com.
FTA/DOT Updates

Tribal Transit Program Discretionary Funding applications are now due February 25th at 11:59 PM EST due to maintenance on grants.gov from Feb 14-17. Please keep in mind that there may not be another solicitation in 2015, so if your tribal transit system will need funding in the next two years, you should apply during this solicitation. Email elan.flippin@dot.gov for more information

The final State of Good Repair Circular has been released. Read the Federal Register notice and summary here. 

The FTA issued final guidance for information collection in the Safety and Security module of the National Transit Database (NTD).

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) reported on whether the FTA is meeting transit operators' needs in regards to deploying low- or no-emissions vehicle technology. 

The FTA has released proposed guidance for the Emergency Relief Program. Comment by April 6, 2015. 

Drug and Alcohol Update Issue 56 was recently released. 
Resources and News

Publications

TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 174: Improving Safety Culture in Public Transportation discusses ways to make transit agencies more safety-focused.

AASHTO has released Commuting in America 2013, a national report on commuting trends. 

Expanding Specialized Transportation: New Opportunities Under the Affordable Care Act, a publication of the AARP Public Policy Institute, explains how states can use the Affordable Care Act to expand specialized transportation to targeted populations.

Scroll through the Annual Report for Transit IDEA Projects to see some of the newest innovations in transit. 

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics has released the Pocket Guide to Transportation 2015, including major trends in transit. 

National Center for Mobility Management has released several new best practices and information briefs.

In-Person Courses

The National Transit Institute has upcoming courses on Environmental Justice in GA, PA, and WA, and Transit ITS in UT and CA. They are also hosting a hands-on class on TERM-Lite in TX and NC. The Transit Trainers' Workshop will take place in October in Louisiana, and there is a request for presenters. For a full listing of NTI courses, click here. 

Funding

The National Center for Mobility Management is seeking applications for a Ladders of Opportunity funding initiative: Healthcare Access Mobility Design Challenge. Apply by March 27th, 2015. 

Funding is available in some regions for the Federal Lands Access Program, a program to improve transportation near federal lands. If you are interested, or want to find out when it will be available in your region, follow the link and use the contact information at the bottom of the page. 

CTAA is soliciting applications for Technical Assistance for Rural and Tribal Communities through March 2nd, 2015.  

The National Center on Senior Transportation announces grantees for Ladders of Opportunity Grants that will connect seniors to public transit. 
February 5, 2015
Events
Easter Seals Project Action Consulting
10 Steps to Starting a Travel Training Program
February 18
2-3:30PM

South West Transit Association 
Joint Annual Conference and EXPO (with NMTA)
March 1-4
Santa Fe, NM

FHWA
Fundamentals of Transportation Data (Pt 1)
March 10
2-3:30PM

National RTAP
101 Webinar on Ethics in Rural Transit
March 11
3-4PM
Webinar (registration coming soon)

NTI
TCRP Report 164: Community Tools to Improve Transportation Options for Veterans, Military Service Members, and Their Families
March 12
2-3:30PM

FTA 
Drug and Alcohol Program National Conference
April 28-30
Atlanta, GA

Community Transportation Association of America EXPO
May 31-June 5
Tampa, FL

FHWA
Fundamentals of Transportation Data (Pt 2)
June 9
2-3:30PM

National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a)
Annual Conference and Tradeshow
July 11-15
Philadelphia, PA

FHWA
Telling the Performance Story
September 8
2-3:30PM

National RTAP
Reaching New Heights in Rural and Tribal Transit
October 27-30
Denver, CO

For a listing of all National RTAP and other national events, view our EventShare Calendar.

All event times listed as Eastern Time
Resource Spotlight
Put Your Bus Routes on a Mapping Site

Use GTFS Builder to put your bus routes into Google Transit, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, or a similar application. We have a step-by-step guide to help you go through the process, along with videos for each step that will guide you through creating your first route.
National RTAP is a program of the Federal Transit Administration dedicated to creating rural and Tribal transit solutions through technical assistance, partner collaboration and FREE training materials.

Contact us:
Main: 5 Wheeling Avenue, Woburn, MA 01801, 888-589-6821
Washington, D.C.: 122 C Street NW, Suite 520, Washington, DC 20001