This is the second biennial conference focused on innovations in training and compliance rather than research,demonstrating FTAs support of hands-on training and experience working with RTAP resources in the state and national programs. The target audience for the conference includes rural and tribal transit operators, human service agency transportation providers, and tribes and organizations that are new to transit programs.

The conference will include multiple routes to offer learning and technical assistance opportunities for planning, policy-writing, data management to support NTD and other reporting requirements as well as tips and tricks to make compliance easier. We want to showcase how people are addressing operational and compliance issues. The routes include planning, design and research; policy, funding and finance; operations; technology; and special topics in rural mobility, including veterans transportation, MAP-21 program changes, health, and livability.

Abstracts will be evaluated based on the degree to which they address one or more of three areas:

Target market segments of particular interest for this conference within each of the routes will include rural, tribal, intercity and veterans’ transportation, mobility management, transit manager 101, and state program manager 101.

Entry has closed for this

The Conference Committee seeks proposals for quality presentations on topics and tools relevant to rural public, tribal, veterans’ and intercity bus transportation.

Topics of interest include:

Route 1: Planning, Design, Integration and Implementation – some examples for topics are:

Integration of Coordinated Human Service and Transportation Plans into existing state and regional planning processes
Strategies for bringing non-traditional partners to the table
New tribal/county partnerships, tribal/state partnerships
Transit planning within tribal government
Next generation human services/transportation coordination plans
Data collection, analysis, stories

Route 2: Policy, Funding and Finance – some examples for topics are:

ADA, civil rights, and environmental justice
New partnerships for local match
Funding partnerships
Safety and asset management
MAP-21 implementation
Funding utilization within states
Compliance, compliance, compliance

Route 3: Special Topics in Rural Mobility – some examples for topics are:

Veterans’ transportation
Generational marketing
Aging and livability
Health and transportation
Oversized wheelchairs

Route 4: Operations – some examples for topics are:

Safety and security
Human resource management, including workforce development, succession planning, mentoring, recruitment, performance evaluation, healthcare
Marketing to meet diverse customer needs
Bus maintenance
Procurement of rolling stock
Drug and alcohol testing and compliance

Route 5: Technology – some examples for topics are:

Technology tools for compliance
How data exchange can improve service for passengers
Live technology demos of rural transit applications
Low-end technology with high-end results