New Demand-Response Technology Tool – RideSheet from National RTAP

National RTAP introduces its newest technology tool - RideSheet. RideSheet is a simple, spreadsheet-based tool for operating and reporting on small demand-response transportation services. RideSheet supports rural, small urban, and urban specialized services ready to move away from paper, whiteboards, and ad-hoc spreadsheets and move to systematic and accessible tracking tools. RideSheet is a database for tracking trips, runs, customers, drivers, vehicles, and services. Join National RTAP for a webinar on January 21, 2025, 2:00-3:00 PM to learn about RideSheet.

Procurement 101 On-Demand Course from FTA

FTA’s new Procurement 101 e-learning course is now available to help FTA recipients better understand the requirements of procurement. The course will help grant recipients ensure their procurements are compliant with federal, state and local procurement rules and regulations and prepare recipients for FTA audits, particularly Triennials, State Management Reviews and Procurement Systems Reviews.

Cybersecurity for Transit Cheat Sheet

National RTAP has published a Cybersecurity for Transit Cheat Sheet. This checklist can be used to prepare for, respond to, and recover from cyber incidents. It covers topics including cyber incident response plans, configuring equipment and servers, staff policies and training, and more. There is a section at the end for entering key contact information.

DOT Combating Human Trafficking in the Transportation Sector Awareness Training Video

This new training video for transportation personnel from the US Department of Transportation underscores the intersection of human trafficking and transportation, provides general and transport-specific indicators of human trafficking, and how to report a tip.

National Transit Institute Courses

FTA has published three new resources that will clarify the new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) requirements for expanded reporting of assaults on transit workers to the National Transit Database (NTD). These resources will help transit agencies:

• Understand the difference between major and non-major events.
• Distinguish between physical and non-physical assaults.
• Know the “Who,” “What” and “Where” of an assault event.

New technical resources include:

• An overview of the expanded reporting requirements.
• Full Reporters Guide to reporting data on assaults on transit workers.
• Reduced Reporters Guide to reporting data on assaults on transit workers.

To support the transit industry, FTA has compiled resources that can be used to better understand fatigue and fatigue-related issues in the workplace.

Click here: Fatigue Resources for Transit Operations

De-Escalation Training Resource Directory

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has gathered resources to support the transit industry in developing, implementing, and updating their training programs. These resources illustrate ways agencies throughout the transit industry are implementing de-escalation training. They are made publicly available by transit agencies and the transit industry.

Integrating Transportation and Land Use

The National Highway Institute is offering a7-hour on-demand, online course on Integrating Transportation and Land Use. The course is designed to help practitioners plan multimodal transportation systems that support community development goals and shape land use patterns that support transportation system performance goals. Course lessons include determining the interplay between transportation systems and land use development patterns, the processes and principles that influence integrated transportation and land use planning, and strategies for applying integrated land use and transportation principles to different types and scales of planning and decision-making processes. This course is intended for transit agencies and mid-level state DOT employees, among others.

As part of its Transition  program, CTAA has partnered with the national non-profit technical consulting organization CALSTART to bring you a seven-part YouTube and Podcast series focused on each element of the Fleet Transition Plan. There will also be special episodes on the Transition to Zero podcast with more unfiltered discussions around each webinar episode. The series aims to give you confidence and understanding of Fleet Transition Plans, the elements they encompass, and how to use them. Whether you plan to transition your fleet’s propulsion in 5 years or 50 years, this series will give you the knowledge and confidence to advance your fleet. The seventh and final episode in the series will be released on December 19.

FREE On-Demand Courses from National Center for Mobility Management

The NCMM e-learning courses provide skills and knowledge training for mobility management professionals. Learners take quizzes after each module, and upon successfully passing all the quizzes receive a course completion certificate. All the NCMM courses are available at no cost to the learner.  Available courses include:

• Transportation Call Center Operations
• Mobility Management for All
• The Role for Advocacy in Mobility Management
• Meetings with Purpose and Results
• Mobility Management Basics
• Exploring Types of Agreements to Guide Your Partnerships

This is complete kit for instructors who want deliver a two-day course that provides participants with an overview of and familiarity with battery electric bus (BEB) basics. This will include an overview of what a BEB is, and what makes it both similar and different from its standard transit counterparts. The course will include sections on BEB components and systems, details on its internal functions (CAN, High Voltage systems, battery packs, etc.), the management systems, and a quick glance at preventive maintenance tasks.

The course will follow up with a module on some electrical fundamentals, safety features, considerations, risk and hazard assessment, PPE, and comes with demonstrations of actual technicians performing de-energization (LOTO) of a Proterra and New Flyer model bus, and concludes with the third module introducing details involved with BEB charging, including the details of current BEB charging technologies, emerging charging technologies and opportunities, electric vehicle charging standards, and common considerations in charging maintenance and charger safety precautions.

Click here to view https://www.transitworkforce.org/battery-electric-bus-familiarization-course/

National Aging and Disability Transportation Center's (NADTC) Learning Short, How to Start a Volunteer Transportation Program, provides information on starting a volunteer transportation program with a focus on supporting older adults and people with disabilities who want to age in place.

Click here: How to Start a Volunteer Transportation Program

This podcast series is a helpful look at conflict in and on our community transit systems. By listening to these discussions that provide helpful tips and ideas, transit drivers can do their jobs more safely in urban, rural and tribal transit environments. These nine targeted podcasts are 15 minutes in length and can be used in driver safety meetings, to inform policymakers and to educate the entire transit community on how to ensure our drivers are safe. The podcasts feature a variety of transit leaders, drivers, trainers, and psychologists who focus on the following topics:

• What is Assault?
• Proactive Prevention
• Training Tools
• The Importance of Community Connections
• Supporting All Involved

Click here: Preventing Transit Driver Assault Podcast Series

This National RTAP Diversity and Inclusion Organizational Assessment is designed to help rural transit agencies evaluate their diversity and equity behaviors in the following areas: foundation, leadership, service delivery, communication, and performance.

Click here: Diversity and Inclusion Organizational Self-Assessment

The National Center for Applied Transit Technology (N-CATT) has developed a library of resources to help you better understand procuring transit technologies. They provide write-ups on effective RFPs, state-level marketplaces and cooperative purchasing efforts, and products they have developed through their technical assistance efforts.

The purpose of these resources is to help you understand what works. None of these resources are intended to be directly replicated.  N-CATT encourages you to reach out to them with any questions about and further assistance with your procurement process.

Click here:  FREE Procurement Resources

National Center for Mobility Management's (NCMM) new eLearning course on Exploring Types of Agreements to Guide Your Partnerships defines three types of agreements: memorandum of understanding, contracts, and intergovernmental agreements, and explains their differences and situations in which they are most appropriate.

Click here: FREE On-Demand Course on Exploring Types of Agreements to Guide Your Partnerships

The National Center for Applied Transit Technology (N-CATT) is offering this free, on-demand, hands-on workshop geared toward transit agency staff, with little to no previous Geographic Information System (GIS) experience, who want to use GIS for analysis or map-making but may not have the resources to use a paid GIS program.  It covers:

•     • Introduction to GIS
•     • Fundamentals of GIS
•     • Developing Route & System Maps
•     • Conducting Ridership Analyses
•     • Conducting Market Analysis

Click here:  FREE GIS Tools for Transit Analysis and Map-Making

The US Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) provides free cybersecurity courses (no login required) through the Federal Virtual Training Environment (FedVTE).  These courses include Cloud Computing Security, Cyberessentials, Understanding Web and Email Server Security, and numerous other topics.

Click here:  FREE Cybersecurity Courses from US Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency

The National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC) has developed a new campaign to help volunteer transportation programs around the country recruit volunteer drivers. The fully customizable volunteer recruitment materials include:

•   • Flyers
•   • Postcards
•   • Social Media Graphics
•   • A Social Media Toolkit

All of the campaign materials offer designated spaces for your organization’s logo and information, enabling you to customize them for your community. NADTC will provide you with the individual PDF, JPEG, or InDesign files of the materials for your use.

Click here: Volunteer Driver Recruitment Materials

In an effort to help transit agencies more effectively recruit drivers and other workers, the Transit Workforce Center has released a new Transit Worker Recruitment Campaign Toolkit.  This is a free, regularly updated resource.

Click here:  Transit Worker Recruitment Campaign Toolkit

Would you like to learn more about cybersecurity and how to protect your organization against cybercrime?  The Arkansas Small Business & Technology Development Center, UA Little Rock, and U.S. Small Business Administration have teamed up to offer a free, online, on-demand basic cybersecurity training course. Cyber Safe: Cybersecurity for Small Business covers:

• •   Access Control
• •   Passwords
• •   Media Protection
• •   Physical Security
• •   Protecting Network Boundaries
• •   Vulnerabilities

The course is directed at agency managers, directors, and IT staff, and takes less than 1.5 hours to complete.

Click here: FREE Online Basic Cybersecurity Training

The Transportation Learning Center is providing free access to three training modules to help technicians, mechanics, and fleet managers gain an understanding of the fundamentals of battery electric bus (BEB) technology.  Though the modules focus on battery electric transit buses, many of the principals discussed apply to other types of battery electric vehicles that are already or will soon be on the market (e.g., passenger and paratransit vehicles).  You can (1) watch the pre-recorded on-demand webinars that include Q&As with industry experts or (2) download the slides (includes presenters’ notes, tests, and test answers) to use in a group training session.  Topics include:

• •   Module 1: BEB Overview (Fundamentals of BEB Technology, Preventative Maintenance & Diagnostics, and Battery Management & Cooling)
• •   Module 2: High Voltage Safety (Overview of BEB High Voltage, High Voltage Risk & Safety, Worker Protection, and High Voltage Required Skills & Knowledge)
• •   Module 3: Charging Considerations (Charging Overview; Charging Considerations & Technology; Charging Standards, Maintenance, & Safety; and Facility & Operations Considerations for BEBs)

Audience: technicians, mechanics, and fleet managers

Click here:  Battery Electric Bus (And Other Electric Vehicles) Fundamentals Training Modules

Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) is providing this on-demand online course FREE of charge.

Click here:  Conflict Management and De-escalation for Transit Drivers and Supervisors

FMCSA Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) Information

FMCSA Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) Training Provider Registry Information

FMCSA Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) Training Provider Q&A Webinar

FMCSA recently hosted a series of webinars to answer common questions they have been hearing from training providers about the Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) regulations and using the Training Provider Registry. You can download a PDF of the presentation slides here and view a recording of one of the webinars here.  Zoom will ask for a passcode to watch the recording. The passcode is:  Wh^&9$qP

A Guidebook on New Software Adoption for Small Transit Agencies

• •   Release Date: 3/2021
• •   Provider: National Center for Applied Transit Technology (N-CATT)
• •   Location: https://n-catt.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/NCATT_Software-Guidebook.pdf
• •   Intended for: Agency leaders and IT staff

Entry-Level Driver Training Requirements

• •   Release Date: 2/18/2022
• •   Provider: National Rural Transit Assistance Program (National RTAP)
• •   Location: Entry-Level Driver Training Requirements
• •   Intended for: All

Click here:  FMCSA Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) Training Provider Tools

Wheelchair (And Other Mobility Devices) Securement Best Practices and Guidance from National RTAP

Please click here to review more information about Wheelchair Securement

FTA has published mental health resources to support transit industry workers during these challenging times. These resources, which are updated weekly, include information on:

• •   Mental health, wellness, and self-care
• •   Suicide prevention
• •   Active shooter preparedness

Click here: Mental Health Resources for Transit Workers

The National Center for Mobility Management is a national technical assistance center funded through a cooperative agreement with the Federal Transit Administration and operated through a consortium of three national organizations—the American Public Transportation Association, the Community Transportation Association of America, and Easterseals Inc. Learn more about us by downloading our brochure.

Click here:  Health and Transportation Resource Center

The National Aging and Disability Transportation Center understands that there are a lot of things to learn when providing transportation services to older adults and individuals with disabilities, and there's not always enough time to get the training you would like! That’s why they are introducing a new series of learning shorts, “How to…with NADTC." Each video is less than 15 minutes long and addresses important topics while providing useful information to help you manage your transportation program.

Click here: National Aging and Disability Transportation Center Learning Shorts

FTA provides financial support for some grant recipients’ cybersecurity activities and supports the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in promoting enhanced security for transit agencies.  FTA has aggregated cybersecurity resources to support transit agencies as they prepare for, mitigate, and respond to cybersecurity issues.

Click here: Cybersecurity Resources for Transit Agencies

There are already a lot of great technology resources out there, and the National Center for Applied Transit Technology (N-CATT) wants to make it easier for you to find them. Check out their Technology Toolbox that directs you to free resources from other agencies and companies that can help you in your technology journey.

Click here: https://n-catt.org/technology-toolbox/