The Arkansas Transit Association (ATA) was incorporated in 1980 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit trade association to provide technical assistance and training for Arkansas’s public transit systems. From the beginning, ATA has partnered with the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) to advance safe passenger transportation.

Today, ATA has nearly 250 members, including sixteen urban and rural transit agencies, community services organizations transporting older people and people with  disabilities, private passenger carriers, state agencies and industry vendors.

ATA’s offices are located in the Arkansas Public Transit Safety and Resource Center in North Little Rock. Built in 2002 with federal and state funding assistance, this award-winning training facility hosts a wide variety of transportation meetings, workshops and seminars.

The Association’s nationally-recognized training program specializes in passenger transportation safety, and a variety of low-cost online and in-person courses are available to ATA members. Courses are adapted to members’ needs, and great care is taken to deliver updated and relevant material.

ATA co-sponsors the annual Arkansas Public Transportation Conference with the ARDOT and the Federal Transit Administration. This popular event provides timely and informative programs, offers opportunities for networking, and showcases vendors’ products and services.

ATA also administers three employee drug and alcohol testing program consortiums and assists with policy development, training and legal compliance. Testing is required by the Federal Transit Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Employees not regulated by the Department of Transportation are tested under their own consortium. Group purchasing by the consortiums result in lower costs and superior customer service.

Other association benefits include a Workers’ Compensation Self-Insured Trust Fund and free Traffic Violation Reports for public and non-profit members.

ATA proudly serves its members, advocating for recognition of their hard work and their dedication to increasing the quality of community transportation in Arkansas.