Announcements

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Other Changes

On July 7, 2022, FTA published a notice in the Federal Register proposing reporting changes and clarifications to the National Transit Database (NTD). On November 15, 2021, the President signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), Pub. L. 117-58. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requests public comment on proposed changes and clarifications to NTD reporting requirements. The proposed changes are not related to safety and security reporting, as FTA is proposing such changes in a separate notice.

This notice contains five proposed changes and clarifications:

New Sample-based Monthly Data (WE-20)
During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, FTA did not receive timely service data, including ridership and vehicle revenue miles. The NTD’s most timely service data is monthly data, which takes approximately 6 weeks to be published after collection. FTA is proposing the collection of one sample or reference week of data to allow FTA to estimate service trends in the transit industry for each month. FTA will continue to collect monthly data from full reporters in addition to the new reference week of data.

General Transit Feed Specification
Section 30014 of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law amends 49 U.S.C. Section 5335 to require FTA to collect “geographic service area coverage” data through the NTD. FTA is proposing to leverage the existing General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) to collect such data. FTA currently voluntarily collects GTFS data from some reporters, and FTA is proposing that we require GTFS data reporting from all full, reduced, tribal, and rural reporters moving forward.

Collecting Geospatial Data for Demand Response Modes
FTA is proposing that reporters should collect geospatial data from demand response service providers to complement GTFS data collection for fixed-route service. FTA is proposing that this new requirement should apply to full, reduced, tribal, and rural reporters, but not to capital asset-only reporters. For these reporter types, FTA is proposing the collection of geospatial data for demand response service using a series of questions.

Emergency-contact Information
FTA is proposing that we should collect the organizational emergency-contact information for each agency. FTA does not have a consistent, reliable emergency contact at each agency. During an emergency, FTA has found that it is helpful to have a point of contact who can report to FTA on what assistance transit agencies are providing and what assistance transit agencies need. This information will support DOT’s role in Emergency Support Function 1 – Transportation, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security National Response Framework.

Vehicle Fuel Type
FTA is proposing that we should collect fleet fuel type data on the NTD’s vehicle inventory form (A-30) from all reporters. The vehicle inventory form for tribal, rural, and capital asset-only reporters currently does not include the fuel type of the vehicle. FTA will add a question to the existing NTD A-30 form for these reporters.

More information about each of these proposed changes and clarifications can be found in the notice. Comments are due by September 6, 2022.

Links:
National Transit Database (NTD)
Federal Register Notice