Business Plan Development Training

The Business Plan Development Training sponsored by the National Center for Senior Transportation (NCST) and the Small Urban & Rural Transit Center will be held August 4-6, 2009 in Fargo, ND. For more information about the event visit the NCST event page.

An application must be submitted online by June 22, 2009 for each agency. Please spell out acronyms and do not use abbreviations. This will assist reviewers in better understanding your application. Please note that all questions require a response. Keep your answers brief and to the point.

If you have questions about the application process, please contact Carol Wright at (701)231-8231 or carol.wright@ndsu.edu.

Applicant Contact Person:
Job Title:
Agency Name:
Agency Address:
City:
State:
Zip:
Phone:
E-mail:

1. Describe your service area in terms of main city (cities), counties, square miles covered, etc. (For example, we serve the city of "x" and a five-mile radius around the city on a daily basis. In addition, we provide weekly transportation between "x" and "y" and one day per week service between communities a, b, c, and d to city "x.")

2. If you are a multi-service provider, describe your services in addition to transit. If you are not a multi-service provider, write not applicable.

3. Describe your current riders in terms of trip purposes and demographic characteristics to the best of your ability using ridership statistics or survey data.

4. Provide your ridership and vehicle miles for the past five years on a year by year basis (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008).

5. Describe the number, type and accessibility of vehicles your system operates.

6. Describe the type(s) of services your agency offers (i.e., fixed route, demand/response, contract, vanpool, taxi, shuttle, other). Include information on various populations served for these services. Identify any programs/services that target culturally diverse populations.

7. Provide your days of service and hours of operation.

8. Provide a very brief history of your organization (date founded, key milestones in your system's history, major service changes, awards, etc.)

9. Describe the governing board or structure for your transit system.

10. Provide an organizational chart or list of staffing for your transit system's internal organization structure. If your agency has multiple persons in a position, indicate how many are full-time and part-time employees. Include total number of employees.

11. Describe your dispatching and scheduling system - manual or computerized. Include your ride reservation policy.

12. Describe your vehicle maintenance plan - in house, contract or purchased service.

13. Provide a list of current funding sources including local and fundraising efforts. Describe local match efforts.

14. Describe current administrative, maintenance, storage, and other facilities now owned or used by your system.

15. Describe your transit system's strengths.

16. Identify areas of improvement for your transit system that you would like to concentrate on over the next several years.

17. Describe why you would like to participate in this training and the benefits you believe it can bring to your transit system.

18. Briefly describe the top two challenges your agency currently faces or you anticipate facing in the next 2 years.