Welcome to the National RTAP Transit Manager’s Toolkit! This online Toolkit was developed to give new transit managers the information they will need on day one to ensure their rural transit organizations are operating smoothly and are in compliance with the federal regulations associated with receiving Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5311 funding.
While this Toolkit covers many topics regarding compliance, it is important to note that this list is not exhaustive, and transit managers should not rely on this Toolkit alone to ensure they are meeting all federal requirements. Currently, the Toolkit focuses on the federal regulations in place as of February 2024, with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, enacted as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act on November 15, 2021, being the most recent authorization of the transportation programs of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The Toolkit contains the following section categories: Administration, Operations and Planning, Compliance, and Tribal Transit. To view the topics included in each section, see the table of contents or visit the online Toolkit and click on any of the sections in the left toolbar to expand your navigation options. Federal circulars are referenced throughout the Toolkit, and to learn more about what a circular is, access a list of circulars that are relevant to transit managers in the Federal Regulations and Circulars section.
We will be adding to this toolkit as additional guidance is issued and new topics arise. If you find that this Toolkit does not cover a topic that you are looking for, feel free to use the Suggest a Topic form to submit your topic idea. Note that the
online Toolkit is updated more frequently than the PDF version.
This document was prepared by National RTAP with the financial assistance of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The contents do not necessarily represent the opinions or policy of any agency of the U.S. Government, and the U.S. Government assumes no liability for the contents or use thereof. It does not have the force and effect of law and is not meant to bind the public in any way.
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Updated February 29, 2024
" 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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by National RTAP |