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Conference Corner: Updates About National RTAP's 2015 Technical Assistance Conference

Registration: Registration is up! Register now for the conference, and reserve your hotel room on our Conference Website. You can reserve a hotel room as well.

The Agenda is available here, or on the Conference Website, above. 

Speaker proposals are still being accepted through May 31st.
 WVisit our conference website for more information. 

Scholarships: National RTAP has a limited number of scholarships available to speakers only. 


General Information: October 27-30, 2015, Denver, CO
National RTAP Announces the Projects Chosen for First Round of Technical Assistance Program

National RTAP announced the project selections for our Technical Assistance Program. The purpose of the pilot program is to provide direct technical assistance to rural and tribal transportation programs in the areas of compliance with federal regulations and building system capacity to respond to community needs.

Sixteen agencies completed and submitted proposals, and based on available funding, five agencies were selected to receive assistance:

  • Community Alliance of Human Services of Newport, NH - increase access to existing service and determine how to serve the community beyond the existing fixed-route system.
  • Pee Dee RTA of Florence, SC - explore the feasibility of providing express bus service that would connect commuters from four other communities with Florence, SC.
  • Pullman Transit of Pullman, WA - conduct feasibility study to expand service to outlying areas and improve coordination with other stakeholders.
  • Living Well in Wabash County Council on Aging of Wabash, IN - identify the potential for a deviated fixed-route service.
  • WSOS - Community Action Commission of Fremont, OH - provide assistance in developing a transit asset management plan.
Program assistance is expected to be completed within a one-year period. "We are impressed with the work these agencies are doing and look forward to exploring options for improving and building on the significant transit resources in these programs," stated Robin Phillips, National RTAP Executive Director. "The problems faced by these agencies are repeated across the country in other programs and states. We hope to showcase some of these projects at the National RTAP Conference that will be held in Denver, Colorado in October of 2015."
Federal Transit Administration and US DOT Updates

The FTA has added some new tools on their Drug and Alcohol Policy page, including a Policy Builder to help you craft a drug and alcohol policy, sample forms and checklists, and an Excel tool to help track the random testing schedule. 

FTA has issued a Notice of Availability of the Final Circular for the Bus and Bus Facilities Formula Program, Section 5339.

Therese McMillan recently posted on the FastLane Blog about transportation sustainability and expanding transit options in honor of Earth Day.

$500 million announced for the next round of TIGER Discretionary Grants. The pre-application deadline is May 4th, and the final application deadline is June 5th.  

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) now requires certified medical examiners performing physicals for commercial motor vehicle drivers to to use a new form and report results to the FMCSA by the next day. 

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found overlap in many government programs, including Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT).

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) has updated National Transportation Statistics. 
Resources and News

Publications

TCRP Report 117: Preliminary Strategic Analysis of Next Generation Fare Payment Systems for Public Transportation examines emerging fare payment options for transportation.

Web Resources

The National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM) has created an interactive map of the United States that provides mobility management contacts for each state. You can also view past webinars from NCMM. 


View presentations and notes from the Rides to Wellness meeting in March, bringing healthcare and transportation professionals together to work on strategies to overcome barriers for healthcare transportation. 

 

NCST has put out a summary of technical assistance projects they are working on through FTA's Ladders of Opportunity Program.  

 

The State Smart Transportation Initiative recently held a webinar exploring how to improve intercity bus connections and information at the state level.


Opportunities

The Transportation Research Board (TRB)'s Transit IDEA Program is now accepting proposals for funding innovative transportation ideas. The deadline is May 1st, and if that's too soon, there is another solicitation that ends on November 2nd.  

The Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) is currently accepting registrations for the National Community Transit Roadeo during CTAA EXPO.  You can also submit a proposal to do a short, informal presentation (Pecha Kucha) on a fun and unique topic. 

SURTC is looking for rural and small urban transit photos to use in upcoming publications. Email Jeremy Mattson to submit one or for more information. 

The National Center on Senior Transportation (NCST) is collecting information about travel training programs serving older adults through a survey.   

Blogs

Metro Magazine has a new blog post about creating standards in bus operations. 
April 30, 2015
Events
American Public Transportation Association (APTA)
2015 Bus and Paratransit Conference
May 3-6
Fort Worth, TX

National Center on Senior Transportation (NCST)
Falls Prevention and Transportation
May 6
1-2:30PM

US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool 
May 12
2-3:30PM

National Transit Institute (NTI)
TCRP Synthesis 112: Maintaining Transit Effectiveness Under Major Financial Constraints
May 19
2-3:30PM

US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool 
May 28
1-2:30PM

Community Transportation Association of America EXPO
May 31-June 5
Tampa, FL
Visit National RTAP at Booth 215!

US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool 
June 3
3;30-5PM
Webinar

Federal Highway Administration (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

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Telling the Performance Story
September 8
2-3:30PM

National Transit Institute (NTI)
Transit Trainers' Workshop
October 11-13
New Orleans, LA

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 info@nationalrtap.org.

All event times listed as Eastern Time
Resource Spotlight
Your Hub for Rural and Tribal Transit Information

National RTAP's website is full of useful information. Check out our popular toolkits for:

Transit Managers,

 

ADA,

 

Bus Roadeos,

 

State RTAP Managers,

 

and our Find Anything Toolkit, a guide to general transit information and resources. 
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