Dear Rural and Tribal Transit Community,
We provide continuing support for the ongoing safety demands and economic ramifications of COVID-19 for rural and Tribal transit programs. People are looking for ways to resume their businesses and transit is looking for ways to get people there.
We have hope and our communities and workforce have access to the higher level of safety provided by the vaccines available. With new resources focused on safety and maintaining our transportation network, we look forward to working with all of you on implementing the new normal and sharing best practices on meeting new challenges. As always, please contact us if there is anything we can do to assist you. Keep your eye on our events calendar for opportunities.
Take care and stay safe,
Robin Phillips
Executive Director
FTA Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) web page - includes information about the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and FTA resources, press releases, blogs, announcements, and links to other federal resources
Technical Brief - covers what is known about COVID-19 at this time and the basics of planning, prevention and treatment. This brief is updated annually. Updated on January 5, 2023 with updates about disinfectants using catalytic converters and a new FTA publication: FTA published Standards Development Program: Transit Bus Operator Temporary Barrier to Reduce COVID-19 Exposure.
Best Practices Spotlight Article - provides best practices and guidance on safety, communications, funding, and more from the perspectives of state, rural and tribal transit managers, and clinical experts. Published on June 5, 2020.
Topic Guide - selected links to FTA, National RTAP, and other national, regional and local COVID-19 resources and planning documents. Updated February 1, 2023 with resources on COVID's effects on persons with disabilities and how to create a COVID dashboard.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - answers to questions to our Resource Center and at our Peer Roundtables and Panel Discussions. Updated on January 11, 2022 with information about employee and rider surveys, shared ride taxi services, and temperature kiosks.
ADA Toolkit Section on COVID-19 - the New Developments section of the ADA Toolkit lists recent developments related to COVID-19 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Updated November 11, 2021.
Transit Manager's Toolkit Sections on COVID-19 - New sections are Leading during a Crisis and Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic. Published November 11, 2020.
COVID-19 Safety Guidance for Frontline Transit Employees - This training was sponsored by NJ Transit, in collaboration with the NJ Council on Special Transportation, and was recorded on September 11, 2020 by Michael Noel of Noel Training & Consulting LLC. It is available through National RTAP eLearning.
Rural Transit Planning in the Time of COVID and Beyond - A webinar delivered on January 14, 2021 by Ken Hosen of KHF Group, which provided guidance on planning efforts that rural and tribal transit agencies can undertake through three phases: 1) During the pandemic, 2) Recovery from the pandemic and 3) Post-pandemic. It also covered transit planning basics and best practices.
Rural Transportation Planning and the COVID-19 Response - This National RTAP/FTA webinar held on May 19, 2021 highlighted how COVID-19 has affected rural and tribal transit providers and the communities they serve, and how the providers have been responding to the pandemic.
Transit Driver Shield Examples - Photos of barriers implemented by rural transit agencies to enable social distancing and safety. Updated March 4, 2021.
Peer Assistance - upcoming technical assistance events and summaries of previous COVID-19 Peer Roundtables and Panel Discussions for State RTAP Managers, Transit Managers, and Tribal Transit Managers
National RTAP lists COVID-19 focused events in our Calendar of Events and eNews. Events that have been cancelled or postponed are also listed in eNews.
Updated February 1, 2023
" National RTAP offers one-stop shopping for rural and tribal transit technical assistance products and services. Call, email, or chat with us and if we can’t help with your request, we’ll connect you with someone who can! "
" You go above and beyond and I wanted to let you know that I appreciate it so much and always enjoy my time with you. The presentations give me so much to bring back to my agency and my subrecipients. "
" I always used the CASE (Copy And Steal Everything) method to develop training materials until I discovered RTAP. They give it to you for free. Use it! "
" National RTAP provides an essential service to rural and small transit agencies. The products are provided at no cost and help agencies maximize their resources and ensure that their employees are trained in all aspects of passenger service. "
" We were able to deploy online trip planning for Glasgow Transit in less than
90 days using GTFS Builder. Trip planning information displays in a riders'
native language, which supports gencies in travel training and meeting Title VI
mandates. "
" Having a tool like GTFS Builder is really light years ahead of what it used to be at one time in terms of how fast you can put everything together. Our university students really can't imagine transit without it, so I think it's very important for us in terms of attracting that particular demographic. "
" In the past we used proprietary database software that was very challenging, very murky, and hard to update. GTFS Builder is a great opportunity to make this more user-friendly, more readily updatable and it
would enable us to show how to create a GTFS to more of the staff. "
" Collaboration is a buzz word these days in the industry. On behalf of our Tribal segment, I appreciate RTAP for making Tribes a partner in industry opportunities. The organization goes over and beyond reaching partners one would not expect in a busy industry such as public transportation. Thank you for your tireless efforts! "
"We are so very thankful for all your transportation training materials. Your resources are as valuable as gold!"
A program of the Federal Transit Administration administered by the Neponset Valley TMA
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