Transit Manager's Toolkit

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A critical component of a transit organization is a team of well-qualified, well-trained, and motivated drivers. A Tribal transit agency’s drivers are not only essential for operating the service; they are also responsible for safe and reliable service and are the most visible representatives of the Tribe’s transportation service.

It can be challenging for Tribal transit systems to recruit and retain drivers.  See the Administration section of the Toolkit for general information about Driver Recruitment, Training, and Retention. It introduces both requirements and suggested practices in the areas of driver recruiting, hiring, retention, motivation, and training. 

One strategy is to recruit stand-by and part-time vehicle operators. Because Commercial Driver's License (CDL) training is not required for smaller vehicles, the strategy of using a fleet of smaller vehicles (when there are not capacity constraints) is sometimes beneficial to recruitment, training, and retention. 

Big Woods Transit (BWT) is a small Tribal system operated by the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa (also referred to as Ojibwe) in Northern Minnesota. Like many other transit systems, BWT had difficulties hiring and retaining vehicle operators resulting in its transit managers filling in as drivers. BWT was able to hire part-time workers from other Tribal government departments. CDL training was not required as most of their vehicles are smaller. Some of the new vehicle operators were hired on regular schedules and some were on call.

Training resources for that are specific to Tribal transit agencies are included in each section of the Toolkit.  For example, the Tribal Administration and Funding section contains access to the FHWA’s Office of Tribal Transportation (OTT) website with links to up-to-date resources and training opportunities. The Tribal Operations and Planning section includes access to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Tribal Mitigation Planning Resources

National RTAP maintains a Tribal Transit Topic Guide that includes training and technical assistance specifically geared toward Tribal transit managers, drivers, and riders. Tribal transit managers will also find that the National RTAP training modules are also of benefit. National RTAP training resources include an eLearning Portal, 2 The Point Training (for drivers), Webinars, Peer Roundtables and Chats, a Directory of Trainers, and information about National RTAP Conferences and upcoming Tribal trainings and conferences from external agencies. 

Tribal transit managers will also want to be aware of the State Rural Transit Assistance Programs (State RTAP) in their area. State RTAPs provide training and technical assistance. State RTAP funds are often used to provide training for rural and Tribal transit agency personnel and to fund scholarships to attend transit-related conferences and training. Each state and U.S. territory has an RTAP manager. A list of available state RTAP websites as well as a Directory of State RTAP Managers are available on the National RTAP website.

With an emphasis on the educational needs of Tribal members and their communities, the Native Learning Center (NLC) offers free Training and Technical Assistance to Native Americans and those working within Indian Country. Registration is free for Native Americans and those working within Indian Country. The types of training and technical assistance offered by NLC include multi-session programs in grants management for Tribes and Tribal entities and grant writing training. The NLC website also contains a page dedicated to Grant Opportunities for Tribes.

The National Transportation in Indian Country Conference (NTICC) describes itself as the “one-stop-shop transportation conference FOR TRIBES, BY TRIBES.” NTICC is an annual event that offers access to relevant training and an opportunity for Tribal transportation professionals to engage with federal officials and their peers regarding Tribal transportation issues and challenges. Conference Tracks include Safety, Workforce Development, TTP 101, Planning, Transit, Leadership/Infrastructure Bill, Project Management, and Hot Topics. A Tribal Heavy Equipment Roadeo is held in conjunction with the conference. 

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Transportation Workforce Development and Technology Deployment manages a Tribal Technical Assistance Program (TTAP) to provide technical assistance and training to tribal governments.

The Intertribal Transportation Association (ITA) provides training and information and facilitates meetings between Tribes and local, state, and federal agencies. ITA annual meetings are usually held in December.

Tribal transit managers will want to see National RTAP’s Bus Roadeo Toolkit for information and guidance about Bus Rodeos. The online toolkit and video were created by National RTAP to help transit agencies, transit associations, non-profit social services agencies, and state Departments of Transportation (DOT) plan for and implement a bus roadeo and ensure consistent judging of contestants as they travel through the obstacle course. The annual National Transportation in Indian Country Conference (NTICC) includes a Tribal Heavy Equipment Roadeo. This roadeo is geared towards field service workers and supervisors. Participants operate and maneuver heavy equipment around an outdoor "obstacle course" for the chance to win prizes and the team championship belt.

Tribal transit agencies have also developed their own internal training programs.  For example, the Chickasaw Nation Transportation Services Program purchased transit safety software and use it as an orientation tool for new hires. They use the tool at monthly safety meetings to keep all driving staff updated and trained.

As part of Human Trafficking Awareness Month, January 2023, FTA hosted a webinar, Human Trafficking Prevention in Tribal Communities, that explores how human trafficking impacts American Indian/Alaskan Native populations, the role transportation and public transit has in human trafficking, how transit agencies can prevent human trafficking, and how drivers and other front-line transit employees can intervene if trafficking is identified.

The Rolling Oklahoma Classroom (ROC) is an FTA funded grant initiative that provides hands-on mobile training to transit agencies and transit awareness for the public. Training opportunities include human trafficking awareness, understanding mobility issues, wheelchair securement training, transit availability options and career opportunities. It is made possible by a Federal Transit Administration Human Trafficking Awareness & Public Safety Initiative Grant. Grand Gateway Economic Development Agency/ Pelivan Transit, which provides transit services in northeastern Oklahoma, applied for the grant on behalf of the Oklahoma Transit Association (OTA), which represents 35 local transit agencies that provide public transit across in state. See the ROC Brochure for more information.

The U.S. Census identifies 324 federally recognized American Indian reservations (Facts for Features: American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month: November 2022. U.S. Census) and all are on the same level as the nation on the standard hierarchy of census geographic entities (a display of the relationships between legal, administrative, and statistical boundaries maintained by the U.S. Census Bureau). Some of the geographic intricacies that Tribal transit systems encounter are also explained in the U.S. Census website publication Understanding Geographic Relationships: American Indian Areas: “Federal American Indian Areas and off-reservation trust lands do not need to fall with any other geography like states or counties. In fact, they often cross state and county lines.” 

If the Tribe’s transit program is to build and model a culture of safety, a Tribal transit manager’s expertise and knowledge in the field of transportation must be combined with Tribal government and community experience. 

Tribal specific information and guidance on safety, security, and emergency management is included in this section. Tribal transit managers are encouraged to visit the Safety, Security and Emergency Management section of the Toolkit for more detailed discussions on topics such as safety officers, safety management systems, the manager’s role, and the lessons learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program – Section 5324, FTA: Section 5324 funds help states and public transportation systems, including Tribal governments, protect, repair and/or replace equipment and facilities that may suffer or have suffered serious damage as a result of an emergency, including natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes and tornadoes. This program also provides authorization for Section 5307 and 5311 funding to be used for disaster relief in response to a declared disaster. See the Frequently Asked Questions for FTA Tribal Transit Recipients on COVID-19 as an example of how Section 5324 authorizations include recipients of Tribal Transit Program (TTP) grants.

Eligible Expenses under Section 5324 include:

1. Disaster Response: Emergency or temporary operations
2. Disaster Recovery and Rebuilding: Projects to temporarily or permanently repair or replace transit assets
3. Disaster Resilience: Projects that address a vulnerability

See the Budgeting and Finance 101/Emergency and Relief Programs section of the Toolkit for more information on Section 5324.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Tribal Affairs website contains many Tribal-specific resources intended to assist Tribal governments with establishing and implementing emergency management processes and practices, including considerations for Tribal transit. FEMA’s Tribal Affairs Hub includes: 

• Regional Contacts - FEMA recognizes that Tribal Nations preexist state governments and that tribal lands may not follow state boundary lines. FEMA’s Regional Contacts webpage is helpful when Tribal lands cross multiple FEMA regions. 
• Tribal Consultations – Upcoming and past consultations are listed along with FEMA's Tribal Consultation Policy (2019) and Tribal Consultation Policy Instructions (2021).
• Tribal Declaration Process - Tribal governments may still choose to seek assistance, as they have historically, under a state declaration request. However, federally recognized Indian Tribal governments have the option to request a Presidential emergency or major disaster declaration independent of a state.
• Tribal Funding, Mitigation and Planning Resources – This page includes the following Tribal resources: 
• Grants for Tribal Nations provides specific instructions for Tribes wishing to apply for the Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program, and the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response, and other funding. 
• Tribal Mitigation Planning Resources provides access to a wide variety of resources related to the development of a hazard mitigation plan that includes transportation considerations. A Tribal Mitigation Planning Handbook and an Introduction to Tribal Mitigation Planning (YouTube) video are among the guidance.  FEMA Fact Sheet: Tribal Hazard Mitigation Planning Training, providing an overview of FEMA’s independent study course, IS-350:Tribal Hazard Mitigation Planning Training, are also included. 
• Preparedness - Training Resources for Tribal Nations offers links to training opportunities, grant programs and preparedness tips for Tribes including The Center for Domestic Preparedness (CDP) hosts the Annual Tribal Nations Training Week.

Other examples of publications available on the FEMA website include the agency’s 2022-2026 FEMA National Tribal Strategy (August 2022), a Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning Guide for Tribal Governments (2019), and a Disaster Financial Management Guide: Guidance for State, Local, Tribal & Territorial Partners (April 2020). IS YOUR TRIBE READY? Prepare For Emergencies In Tribal Nations is an online brochure from FEMA’s Ready Indian Country campaign to encourage Tribal communities and Alaska Native villages to prepare for disasters.

Barriers to Collaboration Between Tribal and County Governments: Planning for Major Disasters and Other Emergencies, Health Policy Brief (January 2016). This brief discusses the complexity and offers guidance about negotiating formal cross-jurisdictional sharing (CJS) arrangements to identify how both governments (Tribal and county) may work together to respond to and recover from emergencies across many jurisdictions. 

For additional reading and information about how to develop an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) that includes transit or transportation functions, the Office of Homeland Security has available Local Tribal NIMS Integration: Integrating the National Incident Management System into Local and Tribal Emergency Operations Plans and Standard Operating Procedures Version 1.0 (2004). This document was developed as a joint initiative between the National Incident Management System (NIMS) Integration Center and the Office of Grants and Training. It contains an Emergency Operations Procedures Checklist that Tribal Systems may find helpful.  

Coordination allows service providers to leverage all the resources in a community to increase mobility for everyone. For more information, see the Coordination and Mobility Management section of the Toolkit for an introduction to mobility management, the role of the transit manager, and successful mobility management approaches and strategies.

Transportation services for older adults/Tribal elders, people with disabilities, those with lower incomes, and others with limited transportation options in Tribal communities are supported by numerous transportation and human service programs. Many states are trying to facilitate the coordination of these transportation programs, working at the local, regional, and statewide levels, and it is important that Tribal transit providers are knowledgeable of the efforts in their states and understand how they can benefit from involvement. 

The Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility (CCAM) is a federal interagency council convened by FTA that coordinates funding and provides expertise on human services transportation for people with disabilities, older adults, and individuals of low income. Tribal specific resources in the CCAM inventory, such as Tribal Transportation Program (TTP), Section 5311 Tribal transit Program, Indian Employment Assistance, Indian Schools - Student Transportation, Native American Employment and Training, Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI), and others are available there. The Tribal Administration and Funding and the Tribal and Non-Tribal Systems Engaging sections of the Toolkit also contain information and case studies about coordination opportunities and benefits. The case studies that follow offer insight into innovative practices used by some Tribal transit systems to coordinate services for the communities that they serve.



Case Studies: Coordinated Planning and Mobility Management

Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians - The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI) operates Community Regional Transportation (CRT), also known as Choctaw Transit, which is designed to serve an estimated 10,000 members of the Tribe as well as individuals in surrounding communities. Service includes routes to community colleges, medical trips, and between communities. Jeremy Bell is the director of Choctaw Transit. According to Mr. Bell, MBCI has worked out agreements between the Tribe and neighboring communities like the City of Meridian for the provision of public transit service within a sixteen-county service area. The agreements for service and mobility management have shown that mobility management can work well on Tribal lands when there is cooperation between the Tribe, local governments. and other regional groups from surrounding counties.  MBCI performs regular community engagement and education, promoting services available to both the Tribe and community and educating everyone on how to use the service and make connections. Community Regional Transportation is proud to offer transportation services for Tribal members and the general public. Mr. Bell noted that an important part of their success in attracting public ridership is related to how they chose to market the service. While the service is known as “Choctaw Transit” to Tribal members, it was rebranded as Community Regional Transportation (CRT) with logos that are representative of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. The idea was to make it clear to all that the service is for all, not just for Tribal members.  Community Regional Transportation is a demand response service in which individual passengers can request a ride from one specific location to another specific location at a certain time. Service does not follow a fixed route but provides door to door service throughout the community transporting passengers according to their specific requests. The demand response service vehicles include large buses, small buses, and vans. Services require 24-hour advanced reservations. 

Northeast Tribal Transit Consortium (NTTC) - The NTTC “is a collaborative effort aimed at providing transportation services tailored to the specific needs of tribal communities in the Northeast region. This consortium involves a partnership between Pelivan Transit and various tribal entities in Northeast Oklahoma, working together to enhance and expand transportation options for tribal members.” (Pelivan transit’s NTTC website)   NTTC’s PICK Transportation brings together four rural transit providers (Pelivan Transit & Northeast Oklahoma Tribal Transit Consortium, JAMM (INCA) Transit, Cimarron Public Transit System, and KI BOIS Area Transit System (KATS) to provide after-hours transportation to 21 rural communities. As of this writing, PICK was in the process of hiring a mobility manager to assist with coordination and trip planning among the rural Tribes in the region, especially given the vast geography of the area. Mobility Management was a major recommendation that came out of Oklahoma DOT’s Statewide Transit Plan & Policy (December 2020), and the mobility management position may be funded from federal funds through Indian Nation Council of Governments or tribal transportation funding.  See the Tribal Administration and Funding section of the Toolkit for more about PICK Transportation.

Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) Borough Coordinated Planning - The following case study is largely condensed from a Shared-Use Mobility Center’s Mobility Innovation Collaborative March 2023 report entitled Centralizing Dispatch Services in a Primarily Rural Alaskan Borough.   The Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) Borough is a large region in Southern Alaska (covering 25,000 square miles). The Mat-Su Borough has gained the most population growth in the State of Alaska over the past decade. and the location of. While the Burough consists of rural and urbanized areas (the cities of Wasilla and Palmer) it has no official transportation organization and does not provide transit services. Those services are provided by several non-profit organizations, including Chickaloon Area Transit (CATs), a Tribal transit system that connects to Valley Transit for rides in their Palmer & Wasilla service area with connections to Anchorage and provides rides between Sutton and Palmer. in the most populated areas of the Mat-Su Borough. In 2018 Mat-Su Borough partnered with the Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) to update the Borough’s Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan (CHSTP) and advance Borough-wide service coordination. One of the recommendations to come from the MSB (Mat-Su Borough) Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan 2018-2022 was to complete a Centralized Dispatch Pilot project with the main stakeholders in the region. The project was meant to aid in connectivity, trip booking, and system coordination throughout the region amongst both traditional and tribal transit providers. The Borough was awarded an FTA Integrated Mobility Innovation (IMI) grant award in the amount of $231,191.00 with a local match of $100,000 in 2019.  According to the Shared-Use Mobility Center’s Mobility Innovation Collaborative March 2023 report, the project has been a learning experience with many challenges from the time of the grant award in 2019. Valley Transit is in beta testing, as of this writing, and planning for the public launch of the services. 

The Borough has provided funding to the City of Wasilla to secure land for the Wasilla Multi-Modal depot, as one of the first steps in developing a true central dispatch service. The 2021 Transportation Infrastructure Program (TIP21) includes plans for a Multi-modal Wasilla Depot (transit facility). 

Tribal transit managers will want to review the Planning and Evaluation section of the toolkit for general information related to planning and evaluating the services that all rural public transit agencies  provide to their communities. The toolkit includes information on strategic planning, service planning, required planning, coordination, and methods for monitoring and evaluating services. Additionally, it introduces and provides guidance on planning concerns related to choosing vehicles, communications and technology, facility planning, sustainability, and fare policies. 

Additional reading and information on the subject of transportation planning in Tribal communities is available in the FHWA’s Transportation Planning in Tribal Communities Research Study: Making Transportation Planning Applicable in Tribal Communities Research Study: Final Report.

The section that follows will highlight features of transit planning that Tribal transit managers will want to be aware of and provide access to resources on specific planning topics.



Strategic planning activities serve to provide transit agencies with a roadmap to guide them as their communities change over time. This roadmap provides the structure for service planning activities. The Planning and Evaluation/Strategic Planning section of the Toolkit contains an introduction and basic guidance on the subject. For additional guidance on effective ways to engage Tribal citizens and other stakeholders, the reader is directed to the Tribal and Non-Tribal Systems Engaging section of the Toolkit. 

Many Tribal transit agencies have developed strategic plans, including Oneida Public Transit, Bad River Transit, and others.

Service planning involves taking inventory of the agency’s available resources and the transit needs of Tribal citizens. Once the Tribal transit manager or planner knows what funding, vehicles, facilities, equipment, and staff are available, and the services that are currently provided, those resources and services can be matched with the transportation needs of Tribal citizens and other stakeholders, as appropriate. The Planning and Evaluation/Service Planning section of the Toolkit contains an introduction and basic guidance on service planning. The reader is directed to the Tribal and Non-Tribal Systems Engaging section of the Toolkit for additional ideas on how to effectively engage Tribal members and other stakeholders (e.g., Public Involvement, Passenger Surveys, Community Surveys, Focus Groups and Public Meetings). This section of the toolkit also provides resources and information on the roles of Tribal Chiefs, Tribal Councils, and legislative bodies. Tribal transit managers will need to know who has authority to speak and act for the Tribe as a whole and to represent it in negotiations with federal, state, and local governments.

The type of planning required of a Tribal transit agency depends on how the Tribe has chosen to draw down or access Tribal Transit Program funds (e.g., TTP, TTSGP).  If the Tribe is a grantee under Section 5310 funding, the project would be required to be included in a locally developed public-transit human services transportation plan. In addition to information about Required Planning for rural providers, the Coordination and Mobility Management section of the Toolkit will also be of value to Tribal transit managers. The Tribal Administration and Funding and Tribal Compliance sections of the Toolkit also contain information and guidance on TTP planning requirements (e.g., Transit Development Plans and Coordinated Public Transit Human Services Transportation Plans). 



Tribal transit systems may reside in rural areas or serve customers that live on the outskirts of a metropolitan or urban area. They may transport residents to and from small communities and low-density areas, as well as extremely isolated areas. Tribal transit can include service areas with communities that are 10 miles apart or 50 miles apart, communities on the fringes of urbanized areas, or communities that are hours away. Along with this array of service areas comes an assortment of customer transportation needs -- commutes to work in the city, access to key destinations such as local and specialty health care, shopping, school, connections to intercity bus, and other transportation services. 

Decisions about what types of services are provided by the Tribal transit agency will be based on the information gathered during the inventory of resources and public outreach. (See Strategic Planning and Service Planning above.) The Planning and Evaluation/Service Option section of the Toolkit contains descriptions of the basic service types—fixed route, flexible route, and demand-response service, including microtransit—and guidance about when each service type should be used.

KFH Group conducted a survey in 2023.  Results from 12 Tribal transit agencies in 7 states included:

• The system size ranged from 2 vehicles to over 30 vehicles. 
• There was an even mix of service areas including remote rural to small urban/suburban systems.
• Most systems operated paratransit (including some microtransit). Some operated fixed or flex route services.
• Ridership included systems with 3,000 annual trips or close to 100,000 annual trips.

For additional reading and information about shared-use mobility services in Tribal areas see Interest in Shared-Use Mobility Services in Tribal Communities (December 2023). The study prepared for the U.S. DOT by the Small Urban, Rural and Tribal Center on Mobility (SURTCOM), a partnership between the Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University and the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute at North Dakota State University.

“When we receive a new bus, it is recognized by our spiritual leader, the buses provide service and transportation for the community, not unlike the original Bois Forte Ponies and the horse did for our communities a few decades ago. That is the way we treat them. We treat them like they are ponies. We name them, and we have a welcoming ceremony and dinner when new buses come into the community. We have the drum, and we sing the safe travel song for every bus. We also purify with sage on a regular basis.” Jennie Rowland, Transportation Manager, Big Woods Transit (Bois Forte Band of Chippewa), Nett Lake, MN

It is very important to match the correct vehicle for the needs of the community and the environment. Tribal transit managers will find guidance and resources to help with choosing the right vehicles in the Planning and Evaluation/Choosing Vehicles section of the Toolkit.

Various Tribal transit agencies have developed meeting the needs of their communities through thoughtful vehicle procurement. Comanche Nation Transit uses its Transit Asset Management (TAM) plan, which includes ways to make the most of its vehicles and to decide what suits the passengers best.  Vehicle sizing is accomplished through the monitoring of monthly ridership to ensure that Cherokee Nation Transit is using the most cost-effective vehicles.



While the area of communications and technology in public transportation is continually evolving, the most basic communication and technology need in Tribal transit  is making sure customers have a way to get in touch with the transit agency and Tribal transit staff have a way to reach drivers while they are on the road (and vice versa). The Planning and Evaluation/Communications and Technology section of the toolkit describes the typical devices used to communicate with drivers while they are in-service and discusses software platforms and technology. National Transit Database (NTD) requirements related to General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) are explained in the Tribal Compliance section of the Toolkit. 

As an example of how Tribal transit agencies are using GTFS, North Central Regional Transit District (NCRTD) in Espanola, New Mexico operates in a large, mostly rural geographical area and provides service to four counties, several cities, many small towns, eight Pueblos and the Jicarilla Apache Nation. NCRTD offers a Blue Bus Tracker for its riders and provides its schedule and geographic data (GTFS feed) online for public use to assist with transit and travel related information. For more information about GTFS Builder, see National RTAP’s technical brief: Tools that Connect: Online Trip Planners and GTFS Builder. 

Tribal transit agencies have been implementing new technologies at a rapid pace.  Comanche Nation Transit implemented new dispatching software and with it came a mobile app for clients to use.  Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Transit uses software to schedule and route rides, as well as provides an electronic fares system.  Oneida Public Transit uses dispatching software and tablets and uses the Oneida Nation website for communication purposes.



Tribal transit managers will want to review the Facilities Planning and Compliance sections of the Toolkit for general information about the types of facilities that may be needed for a transit program and the federal and state regulations that may apply to construction projects. Information and resources related to the general design and construction of transit facilities are included in this section of the Toolkit, as well. Tribal transit systems will, at a minimum, require an office and a secure location to park vehicles. However, Tribal transit managers who are involved in facility or infrastructure planning and implementation will want to be aware of the following resources as they begin to work with stakeholders, both Tribal and non-Tribal, on projects that may impact or have an adverse effect on historic properties and the human environment.   

“The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) are two separate laws which require federal agencies to “stop, look, and listen” before making decisions that impact historic properties and the human environment.” Advisory Council on Historical Preservation (ACHP), Integrating NEPA and Section 106. 

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was signed into law on January 1, 1970, and its purpose is to ensure that environmental issues are considered alongside social, economic, and other competing concerns that arise when planning a project. For rural/Tribal transit agencies, the NEPA review process is most likely to be required when planning for a project involving new construction, major rehabilitation, or renovation of a facility. Other types of FTA-funded rural/Tribal transit projects are generally considered “categorical exclusions” under the NEPA requirements. See the Compliance section of the Toolkit.

The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), as amended, is public law to protect, rehabilitate, restore, and reuse districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects significant in American architecture, archeology, and culture. Section 106 of the NHPA ensures that historic preservation is considered in federal project planning.

The Advisory Council on Historical Preservation (ACHP) administers NHPA and addresses critical issues like NHPA’s relationship to NEPA review processes. The Office of Tribal and Indigenous Peoples (OTIP) oversees ACHP’s Indigenous initiatives. ACHP’s webpage for Indian Tribe and Native Hawaiians, and Indigenous Peoples has several resources available to assist federal agencies, applicants, Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations in navigating the Section 106 process and its consultation requirements. Tribal Coordination and Consultation for Infrastructure Projects speaks to issues around the timing of Section 106 consultations; consultations with Tribes are often stated late in the project process and are separate from the NEPA review process. Other ACHP webpages and publications of interest include: Whom to Contact if You Have Section 106 Issues: Guidance for Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian Organizations (NHOs) ,Indigenous Knowledge – Understanding and Implementation, and Traditional Knowledge and the Section 106 Process: Information for Federal Agencies and Other Participants. 

Under the U.S. Constitution, treaties with Indian tribes are law. In Tribal Treaty Rights in the Section 106 Process, the U.S. Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) notes that it is not uncommon for Tribes to raise treaty rights concerns during Section 106 consultations. ACHP recommends that, early in project planning, applicants for federal funding or approvals determine if a proposed project might impact treaty-protected rights and provides additional guidance on how to make such a determination.

The Tribal Historic Preservation Office Program (THPO) is available to advise federal, state and local agencies on the management of Tribal historic properties and instruct municipalities on Section 106 reviews to represent Tribal interests. 

There have been numerous successes in facility planning for Tribal transit agencies.  At the time of this writing, Oneida Public Transit began new facility construction that will store all vehicles, provide the agency with a wash bay and office space.  Big Woods Transit began constructing a transit facility for the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa using a design that includes parallel parking to maximize the use of the space that will include a bus wash, a mechanics work bay with a lift, and solar power generation system.



Sustainability refers to the ability of a transit program to maintain itself and is an important consideration in service planning, strategic planning, and budget development. Sustainability for Tribal transit systems depend on the agency’s ability to operate as efficiently as possible and to secure funding. Tribal transit managers can learn more about sustainability planning, and key issues to consider in the Planning and Evaluation/Sustainability section of the Toolkit. 

In addition, the following resources may be helpful:

• Planning, Funding, Developing, Starting and Sustaining a Tribal Transit System (2020) National RTAP Tribal Transit Training Program. 
• TCRP Report 154: Developing, Enhancing, and Sustaining Tribal Transit Services - Guidebook addresses the various steps for planning and implementing a tribal transit system. 
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Native Americans on the Move: Challenges and Successes brochure for TCRP Project H-38: Developing, Enhancing, and Sustaining Tribal Transit Services (2011).

See the Planning and Evaluation/Fare Policies section of the toolkit for resources related to the development of fare policies.

Tribal transit programs should develop fare policies based on the needs of their community and comprehensive planning.  For example, Muckleshoot Tribal Transit is able to offer fare free service with grant funding allocated from both the Federal Transit Administration and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.



A Tribal community’s needs and resources are always changing. To ensure that services are as appropriate today as they were yesterday, it is important to have a system for Monitoring and Evaluation. Tribal transit managers will want to see the Planning and Evaluation / Monitoring and Evaluation section of the toolkit for information and guidance related to the development and implementation (including the collection of data) of performance measures for their agencies.  Tribal specific information related to required National Transit Database (NTD) reporting is included in the Tribal Compliance/ Basic NTD Reporting for Tribes section of the Toolkit.



The North Central Rural Transit District (NCRTD) Tribal Transit Service Plan (May 2023) is an excellent example of a Tribal transit service plan that documents existing conditions, outreach to Tribal entities, transportation needs and challenges and identifies a “strategic mobility vision for Tribal entities served by NCRTD.” 

Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 154: Developing, Enhancing, and Sustaining Tribal Transit Services: A Guidebook offers guidance about the various steps for planning and implementing a Tribal transit system. The steps that are described may be used for planning a new transit system, enhancing an existing service, or taking action to sustain services. The project that developed TCRP Report 154 also produced TCRP Web Document 54: Developing, Enhancing, and Sustaining Tribal Transit Services: Final Research Report, which documents the development of the TCRP Report 154. In addition, the project also produced a 16-page full-color brochure, published in 2011 as "Native Americans on the Move: Challenges and Successes", with an accompanying PowerPoint presentation; and a PowerPoint presentation describing the entire project.



High density populations, concentrated destinations, and the installation of easily accessible pedestrian infrastructure can help to make effective transit programs. Concentrated destinations are typically found in cities or towns, such as a core downtown, retail centers, clusters of medical facilities, and concentrations of jobs and/or government services. However, these are not the characteristics generally found in many Tribal service areas. Tribal transit systems often, but not always, cover large areas of service, long travel distances, and provide service from hubs that are secluded from other communities in their region. Tribal transit providers may also have lower ridership numbers and higher mileage per vehicle than their urban counterparts.  Yet, they are charged with transporting riders to neighboring communities and urban centers that Tribal citizens must access for employment, medical services, educational opportunities, goods, and services. Working to identify, address, and alleviate these transit planning and operating factors can prove challenging.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) describes the size of Indian land areas: “There are approximately 326 Indian land areas in the U.S. administered as federal Indian reservations (i.e., reservations, pueblos, rancherias, missions, villages, communities, etc.).  The largest is the 16 million-acre Navajo Nation Reservation located in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.  The smallest is a 1.32-acre parcel in California where the Pit River Tribe’s cemetery is located.  Many of the smaller reservations are less than 1,000 acres.” (What is a federal Indian reservation? Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Frequently Asked Questions. 2017)

Given the challenges that come with operating a transit system with low density populations, long travel distances, and dispersed destinations, it may become difficult to gain a sense of how best to maximize the use of scarce resources. Buses may not have full occupancy or may sit idle for periods of the day. Existing routes may duplicate those run by a neighboring service provider.  The case study that follows tells the story of how a regional transit district helped smaller Pueblos feel comfortable in coordinating services with larger city and county resources.

Case Study: 

The North Central Regional Transit District (NCRTD) in Espanola, New Mexico “operates in a large mostly rural geographical area and provides service to four counties, several cities, many small towns, eight Pueblos and the Jicarilla Apache Nation. The total service area is 10,079 square miles, with the longest connecting one-way service distance totaling 275+ miles from one end to the other. Since the last Long-Range Strategic Plan, the NCRTD has extended service beyond its four-county borders and has added three new members to the Board of Directors. The Board is composed of one elected official appointed by each member of the District. Voting strength is assigned to each member based on their representative population.” (NCRTD Long Range Strategic Plan 2023)

A careful review of rural and Tribal organizational issues early in NCRTD’s development as a regional transit district helped to overcome concerns related to the differing sizes of the communities in its service area. In 2003, the Regional Transit District Act, NMSA 1978, Chapter 73, Article 25, was enacted to allow the formation of regional transit districts to provide, among other things, regional networks of safe and efficient public transit systems. However, NCRTD Organizing Committee members from small Pueblos expressed concern in the early meetings that their needs would be overlooked in the service plan, because of their relative population size compared to other Organizing Committee members. For instance, within the NCRTD service area, Pojoaque Pueblo has a population of 2,071 (about 482 enrolled Tribal members) while the Santa Fe County area has over 155,000 residents.(U.S. Census, 2020 Decennial Census)  The NCRTD crafted a unique “Voting Strength Analysis for NCRTD Members," which was once published on their website for stakeholder distribution. The result was a weighted voting formula that divides all members into population divisions of 5,000, 10,000, 20,000, 40,000, and 80,000. While all members receive one vote on the NCRTD Board, each additional division offers a member additional votes. With this set of thresholds in place, the relative voting strength of the larger members is lowered, and the Pueblos realize an equitable share of the relative voting strength. In this way, territoriality is diminished, and NCRTD members have greater willingness to take some limited, but shared risks, to realize the direct and indirect benefits of regional service coordination.

Tribal transit systems often face challenges due to limited staffing, administrators who are new to the field of transportation, and smaller operating budgets. Tribal transit systems can realize mutual benefits by partnering with other Tribal and Non-Tribal systems. The Tribal and Non-Tribal Systems Engaging section of the Toolkit and its section on Benefits of Engaging with Tribes and Tribal Transit Programs contains more detailed information, case studies and guidance on how to develop and nurture relationships that will improve access to rides for all residents, Tribal and non-Tribal. The two case studies below are descriptive of what can be achieved through service coordination. 

Case Studies:

Makah Public Transit System (Makah Reservation, Neah Bay, Washington) connects with Clallam Transit in Clallam County, Washington three times daily on Monday thru Friday. Located on the Olympic Peninsula’s northwest tip at Neah Bay, the Makah Reservation is 60 miles from the closest town of Forks, 75 miles from Port Angeles, and 150 miles from Seattle. Clallam Transit provides residents with links to Port Angeles, and Forks. The collaboration and interconnectivity of the two services helps Makah riders overcome the transportation challenge of living in such a remote area. 

Helping Hands Agency, Inc. is a human service agency in Page, Arizona, which operates the Helping Hands Express, a public transit system with routes into the Navajo Nation communities of Tuba City, Cameron, Kaibito, and Shonto, Arizona.  Helping Hands Express connects Page riders to Navajo Nation businesses, medical providers, behavioral health organizations, educational institutions, and social service agencies while enabling Tribal citizens to have access to the numerous services and opportunities in the larger community of Page.