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College Students Not Sure What to Expect from Careers in Transit
Posted: Aug 11, 2010 by DGR

Students surveyed as part of a study on public transportation workforce development generally didn’t express strong attitudes toward internships or careers in the industry.  For the few internship and career characteristics that students did have opinions the perceptions were negative.  These characteristics included the belief that work in transit is uninteresting, unchallenging, and does not provide the opportunity to be creative.  Project investigators David Ripplinger and Jill Hough of the Small Urban and Rural Transit Center believe that these perceptions may be due to students having little knowledge of the career opportunities in transit.

Students were surveyed to identify attitudes and behaviors that impact their choice of academic major, internship, and career, their perceptions of internships and careers in public transportation, and use of job search methods.  More than 1,000 students at North Dakota State University, Minnesota State University Moorhead, and Minnesota State Community and Technical College participated in the study. The project report can be found online at http://www.ugpti.org/pubs/pdf/DP229.pdf.

Posted in: Uncategorized

SURTC to Host Bus Safety and Security Training
Posted: Jul 2, 2010 by DGR

The Small Urban & Rural Transit Center is sponsoring a one day seminar, FTA Transit Bus Safety and Security Program Overview, on Tuesday, August 17^th from 8-4pm.  The seminar will be held on the campus of North Dakota State University in Research Building I located at 1735 Research Park Drive in Fargo.  This national seminar is being facilitated by Ream Lazaro, a well-recognized transit management consultant.  The focus of the workshop will be to assist participants in understanding the new FTA Transit Bus Safety and Security Program as well as to identify “best practices.”  There is no cost for the seminar, but participants are required to register online at the training’s webpage.

Posted in: Events, Training

Rural Transit Technology Course to be Held in Conjunction with NRITS Conference
Posted: Jun 24, 2010 by DGR

Posted in: Events, Training

SURTC Publishes Report on Rural Intercity Transportation
Posted: May 28, 2010 by JWM

With higher fuel costs and changing economic conditions, travel behavior and the level and allocation of resources in highways, rail, air, and transit service in rural areas may be changing. The objective of a recently completed SURTC study, titled Assessing Demand for Rural Intercity Transportation in a Changing Environment, was to determine the attitude of would-be passengers in their choice of mode and the factors determining their choice in rural and small urban areas.

A survey was administered to residents of North Dakota and northwest and west central Minnesota that asked respondents to identify their mode of choice in different hypothetical situations where there were five modes available: automobile, air, bus, train, and van. A model was developed and used to estimate the likelihood that an individual would choose a given mode based on the characteristics of the mode, the characteristics of the individual, and the characteristics of the trip. Results show that, to some extent, travelers, especially those of lower income, respond to higher gasoline prices by choosing alternative modes in greater numbers, suggesting rural intercity bus, van, and rail ridership would increase if gasoline prices rose.

Results also show that age, gender, income, transit experience, traveler attitudes, travel time, trip purpose, and party size affect mode choice. More specifically, the study found the following:

• The odds of choosing air travel decreases for older individuals.
• Men are more likely than women to choose automobile.
• People of higher income have a greater odds of choosing automobile than those with lower income.
• The odds of choosing air travel are greater for business travelers and those traveling alone.
• Individuals are more likely to choose automobile if they are traveling for personal reasons rather than business.
• People are more likely to choose alternative modes if they have used them in the past.

Lower income individuals were found to be more sensitive to changes in travel cost, suggesting that much of the demand shift to bus, train, and van under higher gasoline prices would be from those with lower incomes. The effect of fuel price on mode choice for higher income individuals was very small, even with hypothetical $6 gas. While future fuel costs will impact demand for intercity services, changing demographics may also impact demand. Our findings indicate that an aging population is more likely to choose intercity train, van, or bus service rather than air for regional travel.

The study also examined attitudes toward intercity transportation – respondents showed the most interest in timeliness, comfort, cleanliness, and predictability – and how those attitudes influence mode choice.

This study and other recently completed reports are available on the SURTC website in the Research section. Questions related to the research should be directed to Jeremy Mattson, who can be reached by email at jeremy.w.mattson@ndsu.edu.

Posted in: Research

SURTC Events Calendar Updated
Posted: May 19, 2010 by PWN

The updated Events Calendar provides a listing of national and regional conferences of interest to people in the public transportation industry for the upcoming year.

Posted in: Events

FTA to Award $775 million for Bus Transit Upgrades
Posted: May 4, 2010 by JWM

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced the availability of $775 million of funding for transit providers to upgrade their bus systems.  The funding is being made available in support of the FTA’s State of Good Repair initiative. The FTA news release states the following:

FTA will review applications for the discretionary bus and bus facility funds, and will prioritize proposals based on how they address the issue of the transit system’s state of good repair and recapitalization needs.

Eligible expenses for the funds include purchase and rehabilitation of buses and vans, modernization of buses, bus facilities and revenue service facilities, bus-related equipment and components of transit asset management plans.  Deadline for applications is June 18, 2010. Grantees are expected to be announced in late summer 2010.

Direct Recipients under the Section 5307 Urbanized Area Formula program, States, and Indian Tribes are eligible. Proposals for funding eligible projects in rural (nonurbanized) areas must be submitted as part of a consolidated State proposal, with the exception of nonurbanized projects to Indian Tribes.

For more details, including instructions for application, see the notice in the May 4 edition of the Federal Register.

Posted in: Transit Industry News

Dr. Hough to Present Seminar on Ethics in Transportation
Posted: Apr 28, 2010 by JWM

Often we are faced with ethical decisions at work and in our personal lives. SURTC Director Jill Hough will present a seminar discussing ethics and how it applies to the field of transportation. Further, in this seminar, some fundamental approaches to consider when identifying and making ethical decisions will be presented.

The presentation, part of the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute’s Transportation Seminar Series, will be held Thursday, April 29th, at 1 pm in IACC 422.

Posted in: Events

SURTC to Participate in Transportation Coordination Summit
Posted: Apr 19, 2010 by DGR

David Ripplinger, associate research fellow at the Small Urban & Rural Transit Center, will be speaking on the relationship between demographics and transit at the Dakota Transit Association’s 2nd Annual Transportation Coordination Summit on April 21st.  The presentation will cover recent demographic changes in North and South Dakota, the dynamics of population change and its impact on transit, as well as transit’s impact on livability.

Posted in: Events, Research

FTA Announces Funding for Sustainability Projects
Posted: Apr 15, 2010 by JWM

The Federal Transit administration (FTA) announced the availability of funds for a new round of the Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) program and the Clean Fuels Grant program, augmented with Section 5309 Bus and Bus Facilities program funds.

Applications should address the policy priorities of the FTA’s sustainability program: breaking dependence on oil, producing more energy at home, and promoting energy efficiency.

According to the announcement in the Federal Register, there are two eligible purposes for TIGGER grants: (1) For capital investments that will assist in reducing the energy consumption of a transit system; or (2) for capital investments that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions of a public transportation system. Only public transportation agencies or state DOTs may apply for TIGGER grants. A total of $75 million is available for these grants.

The purpose of the Clean Fuels Grant program is to assist nonattainment and maintenance areas in achieving or maintaining the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone and CO and to support emerging clean fuel and advanced propulsion technologies for transit buses.

Complete proposals for Clean Fuels/Bus and Bus Facilities discretionary grants must be submitted by June 14, 2010. TIGGER program proposals must be submitted by August 11, 2010.

More information can be found from the FTA website and the April 13 edition of the Federal Register.

Posted in: Transit Industry News

SURTC Updates Events Calendar
Posted: Mar 29, 2010 by JWM

The updated Events Calendar provides a listing of national and regional conferences of interest to people in the public transportation industry for the upcoming year.  Click here for details.

Posted in: Events

Ride or Relocate
Posted: Mar 15, 2010 by DAP

The American population continues to mature with an impending ‘aging tsunami’ just a few years away.  Public transportation provides freedom to much of the aging population who would otherwise be forced to give up their lifestyles.

The objective of this research was to quantify the cost of living at home and riding transit in North Dakota versus relocating to an assisted living facility. Special attention was paid to three different living situations including homeowners with and without mortgages as well as apartment dwellers.

Overall, simulation results indicated that the cost of assisted living was almost always higher than the other three alternatives. Homeowners without mortgages had the lowest costs followed by apartment dwellers and homeowners with mortgages. Finally, every senior’s situation is unique and other factors such as amenities and safety may be more important than cost in considering quality of life and peace of mind for them and their families.

View the full report

Posted in: Research

APTA Releases 2009 Ridership Data: Ridership Down Overall but Mostly Unchanged in Rural Areas
Posted: Mar 9, 2010 by JWM

Total U.S. transit ridership decreased by 3.8% from 2008 levels according to the Fourth Quarter Public Transportation Ridership Report recently released by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).  APTA attributes the decline in ridership to high unemployment, economic recession, and lower gas prices, as well as bus and rail service cutbacks resulting from lower state and local funding.

Despite the decline, ridership has still been growing faster than population over the past decade.  The 2008 ridership level was the highest in 52 years, and some decrease would be expected given the higher rates of unemployment and lower gas prices. Higher rates of unemployment mean that fewer people are traveling to work, and lower gas prices make automobile travel less expensive. The national unemployment rate increased from 5.8% in 2008 to 9.3% in 2009. Meanwhile, the U.S. average gasoline price decreased from $3.25 per gallon in 2008 to $2.35 per gallon in 2009. Research has shown that these factors do affect transit ridership. According to estimates obtained from a previous SURTC study, changes in unemployment rates and gas prices of these magnitudes could be expected to decrease ridership by as much as 10%, so a 3.8% drop is fairly modest. Ridership was down by less than 1% in 2009 compared to 2007 levels.

Further, while there was an overall decrease, the number of riders in rural and small urban areas was fairly constant, and ridership increased for demand response service.  Bus ridership declined by just a half percent in 2009 in areas with a population below 100,000 (and was actually up 1.5% in the fourth quarter), and demand response ridership rose 2.7%.

Posted in: Research, Transit Industry News

FTA Announces Final ARRA Grants
Posted: Mar 8, 2010 by JWM

Funding for 191 new Recovery Act transit projects in 42 states and Puerto Rico was announced on March 5.  A total of $600 million in new funding was awarded.  In doing so, the Federal Transit Administration met its deadline of awarding 100% of its Recovery Act transit formula dollars by March 5.  Since the Recovery Act was signed in February 2009, the FTA has awarded 881 grants totaling $7.5 billion.

A complete list of the FTA Recovery Act formula grants can be found here in the ARRA Grants Digest.

Posted in: Transit Industry News

Transportation Seminar Series: Ride or Relocate
Posted: Mar 1, 2010 by DGR

Del Peterson, Associate Research Fellow with the Small Urban & Rural Transit Center (SURTC), will present the results of his investigation into the relative costs of different housing and transportation alternatives.  The presentation, part of the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute’s Transportation Seminar Series, will be held Thursday, March 4th, at 1 pm in IACC 422.

Posted in: Uncategorized

Transportation Seminar: Regionalizing Public Transportation
Posted: Feb 1, 2010 by DGR

A seminar on regionalizing public transportation will be held Thursday, February 4th, at 1 pm in IACC Room 422.   In this seminar, considerations for regionalizing public transportation are presented. Regional public transportation is framed as a complex system. Models of regionalization and an evaluation framework for identifying preferred regionalization alternatives are presented. Also described is the role of the economic characteristics of transit agencies on regionalization alternatives.

Information on future seminars can be at the Transportation Seminar Series homepage.

Posted in: Uncategorized

SURTC at TRB
Posted: Jan 8, 2010 by DGR

Three members of the Small Urban & Rural Transit Center (SURTC) will be participating in the Transportation Research Board‘s 89th Annual Meeting January 10th-14th in Washington, D.C.

Jeremy Mattson will present the paper Assessment of Demand for Rural Intercity Transportation Services in a Changing Environment as part of the Rural Transportation Research paper session hosted by the Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation Committee at 1:30 pm on Tuesday, January 12.  The paper, which is co-authored by Del Peterson, David Ripplinger, William Thomas, and Jill Hough, investigates the impact of individual and trip characteristics on mode choice for rural intercity travel.

David Ripplinger will be presenting Classifying Rural and Small Urban Transit Agencies in the Rural Transportation Policy paper session at 3:45  pm on Tuesday, January 12.  The paper presents the motivation behind, methodology, and results of classifying transit agencies that serve rural and small urban areas.

Jill Hough will be presiding over TRB’s Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation Conference Planning Subcommittee at 7:30 pm Tuesday, January 12.  The Conference is being held on October 24-27th, 2010, in Burlington, Vermont.

David Ripplinger will be chairing TRB’s Paratransit Research Subcommittee which is meeting at 3:45 pm Tuesday, January 12th.

Posted in: Events, Research

SURTC Publishes Report on Aging and Mobility
Posted: Jan 6, 2010 by JWM

Mobility is fundamentally important for people to live full and satisfying lives.  As people age, however, their mobility may decline.  To investigate issues of aging and mobility and other concerns of older adults, the AARP conducted a survey of its North Dakota members.  The SURTC report analyzes the results from the transportation section of the AARP survey.  Specific objectives were to determine how informed and satisfied older adults are with their transportation options, how often they make different types of trips, if they desire more trips, if lack of transportation limits the trips they make, what improvements they would like to see made for them to stay in their neighborhood as they age, and what problems they encounter with using public transportation.

The report, titled North Dakota Transportation Survey: Aging and Mobility, shows that most AARP members in North Dakota continue to drive, and they are more satisfied than dissatisfied with their transportation options.  Although many still drive, transit is found to be very valuable for certain segments of the population and for certain trips, and an analysis of the data using logit modeling shows that for all types of trips, transportation is more likely to be a limiting factor as age increases. Also significant is the impact that disabilities have on the ability to make trips.

Click here to view the full report. Questions related to the research should be directed to Jeremy Mattson, who can be reached by email at jeremy.w.mattson@ndsu.edu.

Posted in: Research

House and Senate Pass 2010 Spending Bill
Posted: Dec 14, 2009 by JWM

The U.S. House passed an annual spending bill last week funding a number of federal agencies, including the Department of Transportation, and the Senate followed suit on Sunday. According to the AP, the bill includes $41 billion for highway construction, a slight increase, and as Streetsblog reports, the deal provides the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) with $10.73 billion for 2010 and includes $2.5 billion for high-speed rail.

Posted in: Transit Industry News

FTA Seeking Applications for Livability-Related Transit Projects
Posted: Dec 11, 2009 by JWM

The FTA is now seeking applications for the livability projects previously reported.  The December 8 Federal Register has the details.  Both urban and rural projects are eligible for the $150 million available from the Livability Bus Program.  The application deadline is February 8, 2010.

Posted in: Transit Industry News

FTA Announces Funding for Livability-Related Transit Projects
Posted: Dec 2, 2009 by JWM

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced on Tuesday the availability of $280 million for transit projects as part of the Obama Administration’s Livability Initiative, a joint venture of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). According to the FTA press release, $130 million will be available for streetcars and other urban circulator systems, while the remainder will be made available to both urban and rural communities:

A second pot of money totaling $150 million in unallocated discretionary Bus and Bus Facility funds will be available for projects that will foster the preservation and enhancement of urban and rural communities by providing new mobility options which provide access to jobs, healthcare, and education, and/or contribute to the redevelopment of neighborhoods into pedestrian-friendly vibrant environments.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) plans to announce grants early in 2010.

Posted in: Transit Industry News

Legislative Update
Posted: Dec 2, 2009 by JWM

The failure to pass new federal transportation authorization legislation is causing problems for some transportation agencies due to uncertainty regarding long-term funding. The current legislation, SAFETEA-LU, expired in September and has been extended by a stop-gap measure to December 18. The White House and Senate leaders had supported an 18-month extension that would push the new multi-year highway and transit bill into 2011, while House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James Oberstar (D-Minn.) had wanted to pass new legislation by the end of the calendar year. More recently, a bipartisan group of Senators have called for a six-month extension that would continue current federal spending until June 2010.

A key question is how to pay for the proposed increases in transportation spending. Most lawmakers have resisted calling for an increase in the federal gas tax, but Sec. LaHood recently remarked that a debate in Congress on such an increase is likely.

Meanwhile, Congress may soon consider a jobs creation bill that could include additional transportation spending. James Oberstar now intends to introduce a two-year jobs/infrastructure bill with the aim of front-loading the spending to further stimulate the economy, followed by a four-year transportation bill with major reforms and changes in the way transportation investments are paid for.

One area that is getting increased funding and support is high-speed rail, as $8 billion in stimulus funding will be awarded starting this winter, and as much as $4 billion more could be included in next year’s budget. Howard A. Learner, executive director of the Environmental Law and Policy Center, wrote articles this week in the Duluth News Tribune and Winona Daily News arguing that high-speed rail is a key opportunity not just for big cities but also for rural America. He further argues that Congress should provide funding for pilot projects for adopting new transit technologies in rural areas.

Posted in: Transit Industry News

SURTC Updates and Adds New Training Topics
Posted: Nov 19, 2009 by JWM

SURTC has updated its list of training topics and added a few new topics.

New training topics include:

• Giving Effective Presentations
• How to Avoid Common Pitfalls in Writing
• Planning for Technology in Small Urban & Rural Areas
• The Changing Face of America:  Diversity and Its Implications for Transit
• Transit and Elected Officials

The complete list of training topics with updated descriptions is available here on the Training & Outreach page.

SURTC develops and provides training for transit operators as needs are identified. If you would like to host a training session, please e-mail Carol Wright at carol.wright@ndsu.edu or call (701)231-8231.

Posted in: Training

Transportation Survey for People with Disabilities in North Dakota
Posted: Nov 13, 2009 by JWM

The Small Urban & Rural Transit Center, with the support of the North Dakota Disabilities Advocacy Consortium, is conducting a research project on the transportation needs of people with disabilities in North Dakota. The goal is to find out about existing and needed transportation for people with disabilities in the state. Results from the study can be used by public and private transportation providers and human service agencies to review their existing transportation services, identify gaps and needs, and plan improvements. If you live in North Dakota and have a disability, you are invited to take the survey.

Click here to take the survey.

Posted in: Research

Solutions Summit: Public Transportation Workforce Development
Posted: Oct 26, 2009 by DAP

The Small Urban & Rural Transit Center recently held a public transportation workforce development summit in Fargo, ND. Participants included current transit professionals from all around the country, representatives from higher educational institutions, and current undergraduate and graduate students.  Breakout sessions focused on internships, higher education, and workforce retention.  Presentations and additional information from the summit can be found at http://www.surtc.org/workforcesummit/.

Posted in: Events

Seminar on How to Conduct a Review of a Peer-Reviewed Journal Article
Posted: Oct 12, 2009 by DGR

A Transportation Seminar titled “How to Conduct a Review of a Peer-Reviewed Journal Article” will be held Oct. 13, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. in Room 422 of the IACC building on the North Dakota State University campus.  In this seminar, attendees will be presented with an overview of the peer review process, the role and responsibility of peer reviewers, as well as tips and considerations to ensure that reviews are done well.

Posted in: Uncategorized

Rural Transit Technology Course to be Presented in Wisconsin and New York
Posted: Oct 8, 2009 by DGR

SURTC in partnership with the National Transit Institute is presenting the course Implementing Rural Transit Technology October 28-29 in Wisconsin Rapids, WI, and December 1-2 in Schenectady, NY.

The course presents a structured approach for planning, implementing, and evaluating rural transit projects to help ensure that agency needs and expectations are met.

Posted in: Training

Transportation Seminar on Transit and Small Urban Sprawl
Posted: Sep 28, 2009 by JWM

A Transportation Seminar titled “Transit and Small Urban Sprawl” will be held Sept. 29, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. in Room 422 of the IACC building on the North Dakota State University campus.

Small urban sprawl has resulted in new housing developments and business centers that have never been served by transit. Unfortunately, transit agencies are often not included in the land development process within small urban communities.  SURTC researcher Del Peterson recently studied the issue and will present his findings.  The objectives of his study were to determine what steps small urban transit providers are currently taking to integrate transit service into sprawling communities and to determine what can be done to improve relationships with local governments during the land development planning process.

Posted in: Events, Research

SAFETEA-LU Set to Expire Soon with Extensions Looming
Posted: Sep 25, 2009 by JWM

Earlier this week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a three-month extension of SAFETEA-LU, the current transportation authorization legislation that is set to expire on Sept. 30.  House Democrats, including transportation committee chairman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) hope to pass new legislation by the end of the year.  The Senate has not yet acted, but it seems to favor a much longer 18-month extension, which is also what the White House is calling for, pushing a new deal into 2011.

Posted in: Transit Industry News

NDSU President Speaks about Transit
Posted: Sep 21, 2009 by DGR

President Joseph Chapman spoke about the importance of transit in the growth and success of North Dakota State University during his keynote speech on September 21 at the 2009 Dakota Transit Association Fall Conference in Fargo.

Metro Area Transit is key a partner to NDSU which has seen its student body and downtown campus grow tremendously in the past decade.  During the first eight days of service this fall, transit routes serving NDSU provided nearly 40,000 new trips.

Watch President Chapman’ comments at Chapman DTA Keynote 2009 Pt. 1 and Chapman DTA Keynote 2009 Pt. 2.

Posted in: Uncategorized

U.S. Senate Passes Transportation Appropriations Bill
Posted: Sep 17, 2009 by JWM

The U.S. Senate passed its version of the FY 2010 Transportation-HUD appropriations today.  The legislation permits $122 billion in spending for fiscal year 2010, which the AP reports is a 12% increase over current levels. The NRC reports that this includes $42.5 billion for the Federal Highway Administration, $18.1 billion for Section 8 tenant-based vouchers, $11.1 billion for the Federal Transit Administration, and $15.6 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration.

The Senate bill is similar to the version the House passed in July. The NRC detailed the funding levels within the federal transit program in the House bill.

Posted in: Transit Industry News

Dakota Transit Association to hold 25th Anniversary Fall Conference
Posted: Sep 15, 2009 by JWM

The Dakota Transit Association is holding its 25th Anniversary Fall Conference and Bus Roadeo Sept. 19-23 in Fargo, ND.  SURTC staff will be on hand Sept. 20 and 21 to discuss the launching of our blog.

Posted in: Events

SURTC Launches Blog
Posted: Sep 15, 2009 by JWM

As SURTC strives to improve its outreach activities and provide a greater variety of valuable and current information in an accessible format, we announce the launching of our new blog. The intent of the blog is to facilitate the dissemination of information and dialogue on small urban and rural transit topics.

The blog will keep readers up-to-date on the training and research being conducted by SURTC staff.  In addition, the blog endeavors to be a valuable resource for news and information pertaining to the world of small urban and rural transit.  Expect to see posts about upcoming training, SURTC events, completed or ongoing research projects, industry news of significant events that impact small urban and rural transit, and anything else we would like to share with you.

Posted in: Uncategorized