National RTAP Training - Tribal and Rural Transit Mini-Conference

National RTAP is providing three (3) full days of Tribal and rural transit training. The mini-conference kicks off with a plenary roundtable discussion of attendee agencies’ best practices and challenges, then continues with 90-minute breakout sessions covering a wide range of transit-specific and hot topics by experts in Tribal and rural transit program development, including, but not limited to: Transit Planning I and II, long range transportation planning, National Environmental Policy Act I and II, procurement and the use of NRTAP’s ProcurementPro tool, grant writing, the latest research on right-sizing your fleets, as well as how transit agencies can “do more with less” in this new environment of uncertain future Federal funding.
PLEASE NOTE: IF YOUR AGENCY IS UNABLE TO REGISTER VIA CREDIT CARD, please request an invoice from Ms. Ginny Ciampa, NRTAP’s Comptroller, for the total number of registrants you will be sending ($250 x total # of registrants). Make checks out to: Neponset Valley TMA, and either mail them to: Neponset Valley TMA, c/o NRTAP, 5 Wheeling Avenue, Woburn, MA 01801 or hand carry them to the Rapid City Mini-Conference to submit in person.

QUESTIONS? Please contact Neil Rodriguez, Tribal Transit Program Manager.

The agenda below is a draft, and subject to change.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

Tribal and rural Transportation/Transit Directors, managers and staff, Tribal administrators, State transportation and transit officials, Federal transportation and transit officials, transit drivers, and Tribal/State/Federal officials involved with Tribal and rural transit.

MEALS TO BE PROVIDED:

A Continental breakfast along with an all-day beverage station, plus morning and afternoon snacks will be provided during the entire mini-conference.

Lunch and dinner are on your own all three days of the event.

Raffles will be held at the end of Day Three of the mini-conference, and winners must present to win.

HOTEL ROOM BLOCK REGISTRATION:

Prevailing government per diem $116.00 + tax for single/double

METHOD OF RESERVATIONS

Reservations may be made at this link, and also can be made by calling “Hotel Reservations” at 1-800-HILTONS (1-800-445-8667). Individuals must identify themselves as being with the group, “NRTAP Tribal Transit,” at the time the reservation is made in order to receive the special group rate. Where available, reservations may also be made online by booking through the World Wide Web.

CUT-OFF DATE

In order to access the room block rate, lodging reservations must be made by the cut-off date of Saturday, September 13, 2025.

Click Link:

QUESTIONS?

Contact Neil Rodriguez, Tribal Transit Program Manager, at [email protected].

ABOUT NATIONAL RTAP

Our overarching mission is to address the training and technical assistance needs of rural, and tribal transit operators across the nation, and to support the state RTAP programs. Our comprehensive set of free technical assistance programs and resources includes training materials, webinars, newsletters and technical briefs, peer resources, research, and innovative technology initiatives.

Info: Facilitated by Ron Hall, Bubar & Hall Consulting, LLC, attendees will participate in a large group discussion of their home transit agencies current challenges and best practices.

Info: Ron Hall, Bubar & Hall Consulting, LLC, will discuss several intercity bus-related projects that the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation (aka the Three Affiliated Tribes) have developed from implementation of their Long Range Transportation Plan.

Info: This session will present results from a National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP 08-144) study that addresses several questions designed to help Tribal and rural transit agencies decide what types of vehicles will best serve their communities. This session will help attendees answer the following questions: 1) What mix of vehicles is appropriate for any given transit agency? 2) How do federal public transportation and health care-related policies affect vehicle procurement decisions? 3) How are demographic changes in the populations from which drivers and riders are drawn affecting vehicle procurement decisions? and 4) What
tools or resources are available to help transit agencies make vehicle procurement decisions?

Info: National Transit Database (NTD): Overview of Reporting and the System

Info: Transit Planning I and II are interactive sessions that provide an overview of the steps required for a comprehensive transit planning process and translating the Transit Plan or Feasibility Study to proactive implementation of service on the ground. Discussion will cover community engagement for program development, transit committee member recruitment and retention, transit service planning, transit plan updates, and transit program resources. Examples will be shared of how tribal and rural agencies have overcome common program challenges (e.g., transit staff recruitment/retention, low-density population, large service areas, long travel distances, and dispersed destination, service coordination and technical capacity, territoriality, and unwillingness to coordinate services, etc.).

Info: Transit Planning I and II are interactive sessions that provide an overview of the steps required for a comprehensive transit planning process and translating the Transit Plan or Feasibility Study to proactive implementation of service on the ground. Discussion will cover community engagement for program development, transit committee member recruitment and retention, transit service planning, transit plan updates, and transit program resources. Examples will be shared of how tribal and rural agencies have overcome common program challenges (e.g., transit staff recruitment/retention, low-density population, large service areas, long travel distances, and dispersed destination, service coordination and technical capacity, territoriality, and unwillingness to coordinate services, etc.).

Info: In this moment of increasingly uncertain federal funding, Tribal and rural transit agencies find themselves challenged to competitively pursue, then efficiently administer the volume of grants currently available. This interactive presentation will detail techniques for writing competitive transit grants despite limited staff time and availability and/or access to FTA support staff. Attendees will will walk away with vital transit grant development resource, and an understanding of the most important elements to address in their transit grant applications.

Info: TBD

Info: National Environment Policy Act I and II cover the following National Environmental Policy Act topics: What is NEPA? When does NEPA apply? How does NEPA work? Steps to execute the NEPA process. What are the various NEPA levels (e.g., Level I - Categorical Exclusion [CE]; Level II - Environmental Assessments and/or Finding of No Significant Impact [EAs and FONSIs]; and Level III - Environmental Impact Statements [(EIS]). What is found in an EIS? What is studied in an EIS? How is an EIS completed? Available NEPA resources also will be provided.

Info: National Environment Policy Act I and II cover the following National Environmental Policy Act topics: What is NEPA? When does NEPA apply? How does NEPA work? Steps to execute the NEPA process. What are the various NEPA levels (e.g., Level I - Categorical Exclusion [CE]; Level II - Environmental Assessments and/or Finding of No Significant Impact [EAs and FONSIs]; and Level III - Environmental Impact Statements [(EIS]). What is found in an EIS? What is studied in an EIS? How is an EIS completed? Available NEPA resources also will be provided.

Info: During this interactive panel discussion, attendees will learn from a panel of Tribal Transit personnel about exemplary South Dakota Tribal Transit Systems and the history of their program development. Panel members will detail funding sources for their systems, specific case studies of tribal transit system best practices and successes, and answer questions posed by both the moderator and attendees.

Host or Publisher National RTAP