Training and Outreach

Intro to Transit Management Course to be Offered

Learning by doing may be work, but it may not be the most effective and efficient way to manage a small transit agency. That's why SURTC is developing an "Introduction to Transit Management" course that will be offered this fall.

"The course is designed for new transit managers to allow them to learn the ropes and hit the ground running," notes Carol Wright, SURTC's associate director for training. "It's also for transit people in the industry who are ready to expand their knowledge base."

Sessions have not been scheduled yet, but Wright says plans are to offer the course at various locations across SURTC's service area of the Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Utah. She plans to augment the course with presentations from local transit professionals at each location.

This course is designed to provide a broad-based knowledge of basic concepts related to transit operations, funding, record keeping, compliance issues, etc. SURTC's goal is to develop a certificate program as part of the completion of course requirements.

"Very few people start out saying 'I'm going to manage a transit agency,'" Wright says. "There's no formal training and no degree. They find themselves in the manager position and needing to learn from peers and learning on the fly. Our plan is to offer a more structured approach. When they're finished they know what resources are available and where to go for answers."

The course grew out of SURTC's strategic planning process. Transportation leaders suggested that SURTC should become the "go-to" source for rural and small urban transit issues. "In working with our clients we realized this was a need," Wright says.

Wright has a Certified Community Transit Manager (CCTM) designation gained by taking training from the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA). The SURTC training will be aimed at the beginning transit managers while the CCTM training is intended for more advanced transportation professionals.

Talking the Transit Talk

Transit managers, academics, consultants and government agencies may all be speaking English, but they may not be talking the same language when it comes to transit. That's why SURTC is compiling a Transportation Glossary and Resource Manual.

"We're taking the many glossaries that are out there in the transit industry and combining them into one resource designed to be the most exhaustive list of terms for the transportation industry," says Carol Wright, SURTC associate director for training and outreach. Extensive searches have been conducted to identify definitions of common terms. The result is a compendium of transit funding resources, performance measures, and accounting principles that will serve as a guide and resource for transit professionals.

The glossary is at 210 pages and growing. "We're also providing broad explanations and examples of how the terms are used and how they're applied in the transit industry," Wright says. In addition to terminology and bench marks used in transit management, the glossary includes information on a wide variety of federal and state transit programs and initiatives. Original sources are referenced so users can find additional information.

"Our goal is to take information from a large number of sources and show how they apply in a way that transit professionals need to understand to most effectively manage their agencies."

The glossary is expected to be available later this year. SURTC is exploring partnerships with national transit organizations to make the glossary available as a free and easily accessible resource.

Tribal Transit Coordination Workshop Held

With support from the Mountain-Plains Consortium, SURTC planned a Transit Coordination Workshop specifically geared to Native American transit programs throughout North Dakota. The workshop was held June 25-26 in Bismarck.

The two-day program detailed coordination mandates, the benefits of coordination, the development of potential transportation coordination partners within their service area, how to initiate coordination, and the continuation of ongoing coordination efforts. Jon Mielke, Gary Hegland and Carol Wright from SURTC facilitated the workshop.

Under provisions of the current federal highway bill, SAFETEA-LU, many tribes are required to develop a plan for the coordination of their transportation services. Before the workshop, SURTC staff members visited tribal transit projects in North Dakota to better understand each of the tribal areas and concerns that were unique to each project. "Overwhelmingly, the type of training requested was a workshop to provide assistance in meeting the coordination requirements," Wright noted.

The workshop also featured presenters from the N.D. Department of Transportation, the N.D. Department of Human Services, the United Tribes Technical College, the North Central Planning Council, Standing Rock Public Transportation, Rolette County Transportation, Trenton Indian Services, and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa.

2006 SURTC Annual Report Released

SURTC published its 2006 Annual Report earlier this year, summarizing staff activities over the previous year and highlighting the center's strategic planning process.

"Producing the annual report provides a good snapshot of the year's activities," says director Jill Hough. "It's a chance for us, as an organization, to stop for a moment and take stock of where we've been and what we've accomplished in the past year."

The report was provided to federal and state decision makers and leaders in the transit industry. It is also available online at www.surtc.org/about/annrpt/

SURTC to Conduct DOT Training on State and Federal Requirements

SURTC will be conducting training for transit managers across the state on behalf of the N.D. Department of Transportation (NDDOT) later this year. The training will be designed to help transit agencies comply with new requirements to receive state and federal transit aid.

The NDDOT had earlier contracted with SURTC to review and revise all of the applications and reports required for agencies to receive funds under section 5311. Section 5311 funds are federal dollars funneled through the state to support transit agencies.

"As a result of that work, the DOT will set up training in several locations in the state to provide guidelines for completing the new forms," explains Carol Wright, SURTC's associate director for training and outreach.

Wright also notes that the new federal highway bill has several new mandates that all small urban and rural transit projects will need to comply with. "The training sessions will inform managers what new sections will apply to them and what information is required at the state and federal levels," she says. "For example, projects will need to be reporting never-before required statistics which will be entered into the National Transit Database. Our training will help managers learn what's required, how to collect those statistics and how to report them."

NDinfo will be Online Transportation Service Directory

SURTC is helping the N.D. Department of Transportation develop a state-wide online transportation service directory.

"The NDinfo.org website will enable individuals to access information about available transit services across the state," notes David Ripplinger, the SURTC researcher who is directing the project. "We're testing a prototype of the website now and surveying some preliminary users to get feedback on how we can improve our initial efforts."

That feedback will be used to make the website as complete and user friendly as possible. "We anticipate that users will be able to view basic information about transit agencies such as contact information, service area, hours of operation, reservation policies, ADA accessibility, schedules, fees and services provided," Ripplinger says. "The website will be a resource to improve the mobility of users as well as the efficiency of transit providers.

Development of the website was supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation through the Federal Transit Administration.