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National RTAP Webinar: Open Discussion with Local Agencies who use GTFS Builder

Have your riders asked if they could use an online trip planner within your service area? Did you know your agency's schedule could display on smart phones, once you have standardized your data? Thinking about a no-cost trip planner like Google Transit, Bing/Yahoo or Apple Maps but not sure what it takes to create General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) files? 

Learn from local agencies like yourself and their experiences using National RTAP's GTFS Builder. This 45 minute webinar will be a discussion with three local transit agencies that provide fixed route service and have been successful in creating and maintaining GTFS files using GTFS Builder. A 15 minute Q&A session offers you an opportunity to get the answers you need. Register here.
National RTAP Technical Assistance Conference Survey

We need your help to shaping the content we will offer at our 2015 Technical Assistance Conference, Reaching New Heights in Rural and Tribal Transit. What are the issues most important to you? Which conference workshops would you attend? Please fill out this short, four-question survey by May 1st. 

Speaker proposals are still being accepted through May 31st. We are looking for good programs and ideas that will fit into our main routes so please consider submitting a presentation abstract even if you haven't spoken at a national conference before. Visit our conference website for more information. 
FTA/DOT Updates

The National Center for Mobility Management's description of the updated DOT policy on ADA and reasonable accommodations is a very good read. Scroll down to the article.

The White House Conference on Aging is hosting regional forums around the country. Although you won't be able to attend in person, you can watch a live webcast of all of them. The next is Thursday, April 2nd at 8:30AM PDT (11:30AM EDT). Transportation is not a focus of the forums, but is of course the backbone upon which the topics depend. 
Resources and News

Publications

TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Synthesis 116: Practices for Establishing ADA Paratransit Eligibility Assessment Facilities reviews best practices for determining paratransit eligibility through in-person assessments.

Co-Monitoring for Transit Management is a report from NYU's Rudin Center for Transportation that examines using data analysis, staff reports, and public input (through social media and the internet in general) to monitor field conditions. While many of the applications may be too intensive for many rural transits, the general ideas are valuable ones. 

This Transportation 4 America report, Measuring What we Value, covers innovative practices in performance measurement with the goal of fostering public support using the data.  

Web Resources

Add your thoughts about transit's role in providing support to families who perform caregiver duties to loved ones. This online dialogue is co-hosted by Easter Seals and the Family Support and Research Training Center.

The National Center on Senior Transportation has profiled two programs as part of their Innovative Transportation Program Summaries: The Veterans Enhanced Transportation Service and The Information Campaign for Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities

Blogs

Metro Magazine posted blogs on a new pilot program involving therapy dogs on buses, and safety and surveillance in transportationAlthough focused on urban transit, this Metro Magazine blog post has some time-honored marketing suggestions for increasing bus usage. 

Notices

The National Center for Mobility Management will be hosting a poster session at CTAA EXPO. Find out more and submit a poster proposal by April 16th. Conference stipends available to the first 15 accepted posters!
April 2, 2015
Events
White House Conference on Aging
Regional Forum: Seattle
April 2
11:30AM

TripSpark
Finding Funding at the State and Federal Levels
April 8
1-2PM

USDOT
Understanding the Travel Needs of Disabled Veterans/Wounded Warriors
April 14
1-3PM
Webinar (registration numbers are limited)

NTI
NTD Safety and Security Reporting-Basic Setup/Non-Major Event Reporting
April 14
2PM

NTI
NTD Safety and Security Reporting-Major Event Reporting
April 16
2PM

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 Calendar. If you'd like to submit an event, please email [email protected].

All event times listed as Eastern Time
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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