This section includes informational and technical assistance resources are some of the most highly requested from National RTAP customers within the past year. If you would like any lists of hot topics that were on this page from previous years, please contact info@nationalrtap.org.
The following are selected resources that answer questions posed by users of the National RTAP Resource Center, and respondents to our national surveys of transit organizations. Thank you to volunteers Alexandria Lowery, Olivia Nix-Sifuentes, and Emily Tiet, for assistance with 2023 Hot Topics.
Congressional Research Service's Effects of Buy America on Transportation Infrastructure and U.S. Manufacturing, 2019 (for historical and background information)
EPA's Build America, Buy America (BABA), 2023
FTA's Buy America webpage
Office of Management and Budget's What Is Build America, Buy America? 2022
U.S. DOT's Made in America webpage, 2023
USDA Rural Development's Build America, Buy America Act Customer Guide, 2023
American Public Transportation Association's (APTA) Cybersecurity Considerations for Public Transit, 2014
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's (CISA) Cyber Essentials Starter Kit, Cyber Resource Hub, Cybersecurity Best Practices, and Free Services and Tools, 2022
Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA)Transportation Cybersecurity Incident Response and Management Framework: Final Report, 2021
Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) Cybersecurity Basics, 2022
Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) Cybersecurity Resources for Transit Agencies and Cybersecurity Awareness for Transit Agencies, 2022
FTA, MetroLINK, Max Cybersecurity, and Grayline Group's Cybersecurity Assessment Tool for Transit (CATT), 2023
Federal Virtual Training Environment's (FedVTE) Publicly Available Free Cybersecurity Courses
Florida Department of Transportation's Enhancing Cybersecurity in Public Transportation, 2019
Mineta Transportation Institute's Aligning the Transit Industry and their Vendors in the Face of Increasing Cyber Risk: Recommendations for Identifying and Addressing Cybersecurity Challenges, 2022
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Cybersecurity in Transit Systems, 2022, Security 101: A Physical Security and Cybersecurity Primer for Transportation Agencies, 2020, and Protection of Transportation Infrastructure from Cyber Attacks: A Primer, 2016
National Cyber Security Alliance's (NCSA) Stop. Think. Connect. General Tips & Advice, 2022
National RTAP's Cybersecurity 101 Summary and Q&A, 2021
Transportation Security Administration's (TSA)
Surface Transportation Cybersecurity Toolkit, 2022
FTA's Open Data Policy Guidelines, 2016
NADTC's and National RTAP's Making Mobile Trip Planning Work for You and Your Clients, 2021
National RTAP's GTFS Builder Guidebook, 2022
National Center for Applied Transit Technology's (N-CATT) GTFS Flex: What is it and How is it Used, 2020
Oregon DOT's
GTFS-Ride: Transit Ridership Data Standard Ecosystem Development Final Report, 2021
FTA's
Bus Maintenance and Bus Testing Program Peer-to-Peer Exchange Summary Report, 2020,
National RTAP's Introduction to Preventive Maintenance: An Investment That Pays Off, 2000, Preventative Maintenance - Vehicle Cleanliness Inspection Task Sheet, 2012, and Vehicle Maintenance: Reducing the Cost of Fuel Consumption, 2022
National RTAP's Top Shops: Emergency Management in Vehicle Maintenance Facilities Technical Brief, Learner's Training Module, Instructor's Training Module, Resource Guide, and eLearning course, 2015
National RTAP, SUMC, and TWC's Electric Vehicle Maintenance Best Practices, 2022
NCHRP/TCRP's Fix It, Sign It or Close It: State of Good Repair in an Era of Budget Constraints, 2021
TCRP's Guidebook for Developing and Sharing Transit Bus Maintenance Practices, 2005, Maintenance Productivity Practices, 2004, and Preventive Maintenance Intervals for Transit Buses, 2010
National RTAP. What is Microtransit and How Can It Help Rural Mobility? 2020
National RTAP, NADTC, NCMM, and SUMC's Microtransit vs. Micromobility Series Webinars, Webinar 1, Webinar 2, Webinar 3, 2023
NADTC's Virginia Rural Microtransit Project, 2022
N-CATT's Microtransit: When and Where It Makes Sense, 2021
SUMC's Learning Module: Microtransit and Webinar: Microtransit Public-Private Partnerships, 2019
TCRP's Microtransit or General Public Demand–Response Transit Services: State of the Practice, 2019
Transportation for America's Shared Micromobility Playbook, 2019
Via's How to Fund On-Demand Public Transportation and Microtransit, 2023
FTA Office of Civil Rights' Paratransit Frequently Asked Questions, 2015
FTA's Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox Demonstration: Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) Public-Private-Partnership for Paratransit, Evaluation Report, 2022
National Aging and Disability Transportation Center's (NADTC)
What is ADA Complementary Paratransit? and
Determining ADA Paratransit Eligibility, 2022
National RTAP's ADA Toolkit Section on ADA Complementary Paratransit Requirements, 2021
TCRP's
Use of Mobility Devices on Paratransit Vehicles and Buses, 2014,
ADA Paratransit Service Models, 2018,
Use of Agency Service Agreements in ADA Paratransit Delivery, 2021, and
ADA Paratransit and Other Demand-Responsive Transportation Services in Small to Midsized Transit Agencies, 2022,
University of Buffalo's How Transit Agencies Implement Best Practice Strategies in Complementary ADA Paratransit Eligibility, 2018
Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) Transportation Planning Process Briefing Book, 2022.
National Association of Development Organizations' (NADO)
Integrating Economic Resilience in Performance-based Transportation Planning, 2018
Victoria Transport Policy Institute's Rural Multimodal Planning: Why and How to Improve Travel Options in Small Towns and Rural Communities. 2023.
National RTAP's Developing, Designing & Delivering Community Transportation Services, 2022, Getting Started: Creating a Vision & Strategy for Community Transit, 2022, and Planning and Evaluation Section of the Transit Manager’s Toolkit, 2023
FHWA's Improving Safety for Pedestrians and Bicyclists Accessing Transit, 2022
FTA's National Public Transportation Safety Plan, 2017, Sample Bus Transit Provider Agency Safety Plan (ASP), 2020, and Safety and Security Certification of Electric Bus Fleets – Industry Best Practices, 2023
National Center for Transit Research's (NCTR) Bus Operator Safety Critical Issues Examination and Model Practices, 2014
National RTAP's 2 the Point - Passenger Safety, 2018, National RTAP's START Safety Training & Rural Transit, 2018, and Safety, Security and Emergency Management section of the Transit Manager's Toolkit, 2023
Transit Cooperative Research Program's (TCRP) Improving Safety Culture in Public Transportation, 2015
Tribal Transportation Safety Management System Steering Committee's Safety Plan, 2017
Additional collections of resources are contained in our Topic Guides on the following subjects:
Updated November 7, 2023
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" 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. "
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