The following resources provide additional information on the topics that will be presented at the

 Making: The National Transit Workforce Conference in Washington, DC on December 13-14, 2022. National RTAP offers direct technical assistance and research services. 

An abstracted list of all National RTAP products available for ordering or online use. Search for desired resources in the Resource Library to order or use online. To order via email or phone, email your request to info@nationalrtap.org or call 888-589-6821.

Citation: National RTAP. National RTAP Resource Catalog. 2022. https://cloud.nationalrtap.org/Resource-Library/Advanced-Search/?fid=152

Read about "Driver Recruitment, Training, and Retention" from National RTAP's Transit Manager Toolkit. The full PDF Toolkit can be found at https://irp.cdn-website.com/270961f6/files/uploaded/Transit_Managers_Toolkit.pdf. 

"The most important part of a transit organization is a team of well-qualified, well-trained, and motivated drivers. An agency’s drivers are not only essential for operating the service, but they are also responsible for safe and reliable service and are the most visible representatives of an organization. Drivers are often referred to as the “face of transit.”  It can be challenging to recruit and retain good people, particularly when funding is tight. This section of the toolkit introduces both requirements and suggested practices in the areas of driver recruiting/hiring, retention/motivation, and training. Many excellent resources exist that can provide more details on each of these functions, and these are referenced throughout this toolkit page. While this section of the toolkit is focused on drivers, the Human Resources section of the toolkit provides information that applies to all employees in the rural transit organization. "

Read about "Human Resources" from National RTAP's Transit Manager Toolkit. The full PDF Toolkit can be found at https://irp.cdn-website.com/270961f6/files/uploaded/Transit_Managers_Toolkit.pdf.

"Being a transit manager is not just about overseeing a system of buses and schedules, it is also about building a team of workers and creating a positive and productive environment. This section will discuss different policies and tactics an organization can use during the hiring process and after to create an environment that will help employees work to their full potentials and increase customer satisfaction." 

This National RTAP technical brief, Applying Good Business Practices: Hiring, Training and Evaluating Employees, focuses on recruiting, hiring and retaining transit employees. It also identifies strategies for motivating and empowering employees, training employees, and conducting performance evaluations. It is a companion to the technical brief, Leading the Rural Transit Organization.  The tech brief was released in 2006 and updated in 2018.

Today, many transportation organizations have formal programs for mentoring future transportation leaders, such as American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), American Public Transportation Association (APTA), Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT), and others. Browse this article to learn more

Advocating for your transit system is one of the most important tasks of a transit manager. Advocacy and lobbying are different. Lobbying involves attempting to influence a specific piece of legislation, whereas advocacy consists of education and public relations. Effective advocacy involves creating coalitions of individuals, entities and organizations that can assist you and your governing board in on-going outreach activities. Building local support for transit is critical. This National RTAP and National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM) Technical Brief, Advocating for Your Transit System will provide transit agencies with the tools they need to successfully build coalitions to coordinate available resources, consolidate service to eliminate duplication, and communicate effectively with their community.  

Originally published in 2008, the 2021 update includes advocacy models and flowcharts, a case study of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians successful advocacy efforts, and new information about how mobility managers can advocate for transit agencies.

Citation: National RTAP and National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM). Advocating for Your Transit System. 2021. https://cloud.nationalrtap.org/Resource-Library/Advanced-Search/?fid=122

This National RTAP Technical Brief is a companion to the technical brief Getting Started: Creating a Vision and Strategy for Community Transportation. That preliminary document describes the process for building a foundation of values, needs, vision, strategy and community commitment for transit, one that ensures that the transit systems mission and goals are clearly stated and understood by all. The information in this technical brief outlines the important next steps: how the transit organization develops, designs and delivers its services. Developing, Designing and Delivering Community Transportation Services was originally created in 1994 and updated in 2022.

Citation: National RTAP. Developing, Designing and Delivering Community Transportation Services. 2022. https://cloud.nationalrtap.org/Resource-Library/Advanced-Search/?fid=163

Anyone designated by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) as a safety-sensitive employee is subject to DOT drug and alcohol testing. But what does “safety-sensitive” mean? The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) states that “Operators of revenue service vehicles, CDL-holding operators of nonrevenue service vehicles, vehicle controllers, revenue service vehicle mechanics, firearm-carrying security personnel” all qualify as safety-sensitive, while the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) mandates that anyone who holds a Commercial Drivers License (CDL) and operates a Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) is a safety-sensitive employee.

The Substance Abuse Awareness Training, Testing, and Compliance National RTAP Technical Brief will provide guidance for employers who must train and test safety-sensitive employees for drug and alcohol use and misuse, and prepare employees for what to expect.  This Technical Brief was launched in 2017 and updated in 2021.

Citation: National RTAP. Substance Abuse Awareness Training, Testing, and Compliance Technical Brief. 2021. https://cloud.nationalrtap.org/Resource-Library/Advanced-Search/?fid=788

Tribal transportation needs are similar to the needs of most people who live in rural areas, yet there may be greater challenges.  Without transportation, many Tribal members cannot participate in their Tribal community events or access critical services, such as medical care.  Many residents of Tribal lands must depend upon friends, church members, Tribal councilmen, and neighbors for rides to medical centers, Tribal-wide community events, schools, and jobs.  However, others are unable to access any transportation and may be unable to access medical care or food or maintain long-term employment.  This National RTAP Technical Brief, Tribal Transportation: Issues and Successful Models, raises some of the important issues faced by Tribes in implementing and managing transportation services, such as funding, reporting, and coordination, and provides several case studies of successful Tribal transportation programs.  The brief was released in 2006 as American Indian Transportation: Issues and Successful Models, and updated in 2022.

Citation: National RTAP. Tribal Transportation: Issues and Successful Models. 2022. https://cloud.nationalrtap.org/Resource-Library/Advanced-Search/?fid=1

Volunteer transportation programs can be rewarding — for you, your volunteers, and your customers — if you are well prepared and well organized. Before beginning a volunteer transportation program for your transit agency, or starting up a transit service that will operate with volunteers, consider your resources.

This National RTAP Technical Brief, Volunteers in Transportation: Some Issues to Consider, will show you how to evaluate and explore the human and financial resources necessary for a successful program. It is important to remember that volunteer does not mean free. There are expenses inherent in operating a volunteer program that will be discussed in this brief.  The brief was updated in 2018.

Citation: National RTAP. Volunteers in Transportation: Some Issues to Consider. 2018. https://cloud.nationalrtap.org/Resource-Library/Advanced-Search/?fid=95

A Coordinated Public Transit Human Services Transportation (HST) Plan is an important tool for community transportation planning. HST plans create a systematic way for communities to improve collaboration and communication across human service organizations and transportation providers – plans can improve access, efficiency, and effectiveness of community transportation systems. Although the process can seem daunting, the end-results are important.  This technical brief summarizes the key steps in developing an HST Plan. National RTAP, the National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM), and the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC) collaborated to update this brief. 

This is an update of a National RTAP technical brief that was launched in 2006 and most recently updated in 2009, that was called Writing a Coordinated Human Service Transportation Plan.

Citation: National RTAP, NCMM and NADTC. Writing a Coordinated Public Transit Human Services Transportation Plan. 2021. http://nationalrtap.org/Resource-Library/Advanced-Search/?fid=22