National RTAP

National RTAP An FTA program dedicated to creating rural and tribal transit solutions through technical assistance, partner collaboration, and FREE training materials.

Millions of rural and tribal citizens are unable to drive for health, economic, or lifestyle reasons. Transit is a real solution to maintaining a high quality of life in rural areas—providing access to jobs, healthcare, education, shopping and numerous other activities. Since 1979, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has provided formula funding to states, under the Section 5311 Formula Progr

am for Rural Areas, to establish and maintain transit systems in communities with populations under 50,000. Soon after, program founders recognized that community transit drivers, dispatchers, maintenance workers, managers, and board members needed special skills and knowledge to provide quality service to their diverse customers across large service areas. As a result, the Rural Transit Assistance Program (RTAP) was created in 1987. The Section 5311 program provides funding for the RTAP program. A portion of the funding is reserved for National RTAP; the remainder is distributed to the states by formula. The goals of the RTAP program are to promote the safe and effective delivery of public transportation services in rural areas and to facilitate more efficient use of public transportation resources. To meet those goals, the program focuses on the following objectives:

--Improving the quality of training and technical assistance resources available to the rural transit industry
--Encouraging and assisting state, local, and peer networks to address training and technical assistance needs
--Promoting the coordination of transportation services
--Building a national database of information about the rural transit industry

Since its inception, National RTAP has contributed to the achievement of these objectives at the national level by developing and distributing training materials, providing technical assistance, creating web-based applications, producing reports, publishing best practices, conducting research, and offering peer assistance for rural and tribal transit providers and state RTAP programs.

05/29/2026
Feel the breeze - the Virginia Breeze! 🌫️ And read about this new intercity bus service that connects 10 cities across V...
05/28/2026

Feel the breeze - the Virginia Breeze! 🌫️ And read about this new intercity bus service that connects 10 cities across Virginia.

Travelers looking to traverse the commonwealth from east to west and vice versa have a new, daily option courtesy of the Virginia Breeze, the state’s city-linking bus service. The new line, dubbed the Tidewater Current, debuted Monday. It “will connect 10 cities (and) five counties,” said Mari...

05/28/2026

TCRP is seeking research ideas that address the needs of public transportation agencies. https://tinyurl.com/mu24r9w6. The deadline is June 22, 2026. Also, TRB and the Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) are seeking feedback on research products, including TCRP's products. https://tinyurl.com/4v26zydt. Responses will be used to help improve the impact, usefulness, and format of future research products. The survey deadline is June 5, 2026.

The Center for Tribal Transportation is holding a workshop on July 29-30, 2026 in Fountain Hills, AZ on Tribal Grant Wri...
05/27/2026

The Center for Tribal Transportation is holding a workshop on July 29-30, 2026 in Fountain Hills, AZ on Tribal Grant Writing.

https://www.tribaltrans.com/event-details/construction-project-management-training-1

Participants will master skills such as navigating federal funding portals like Grants.gov and SAM.gov, distinguishing between formula funds and competitive grants, and applying a go/no-go framework. The workshop also covers writing compelling narratives using the Need-Solution-Impact framework and building detailed budgets and work plans adhering to 2 CFR Part 200 cost principles. Additionally, attendees will learn to manage awards from Notice of Award through closeout, ensuring compliance with reporting requirements.

Whether you are new to grant writing or a seasoned professional, this workshop meets you where you are. Walk away with the tools and confidence to unlock the funding Tribal communities need.

Arrowhead Transit officially launched its new rider app and transit management system with a public celebration in Hibbi...
05/27/2026

Arrowhead Transit officially launched its new rider app and transit management system with a public celebration in Hibbing. Arrowhead serves ten counties across more than 20,000 square miles and provides more than 500,000 rides a year -- it is the largest rural public transit system in Minnesota and one of the largest in the country. The launch puts modern trip-booking and real-time tracking technology in the hands of riders across that entire region.

Calexico, California now has a beautiful new Intermodal Transportation Center that consolidates multiple transit service...
05/26/2026

Calexico, California now has a beautiful new Intermodal Transportation Center that consolidates multiple transit services into a single, modernized facility.

CALEXICO—A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the new Calexico Intermodal Transportation Center (ITC) located at 220 3rd St. in Calexico on Monday, May 11.

Are you attending the Iowa Public Transit Association 2026 IPTA Annual Meeting & Training Conference in Altoona, IA, on ...
05/26/2026

Are you attending the Iowa Public Transit Association 2026 IPTA Annual Meeting & Training Conference in Altoona, IA, on June 17-19, 2026? If so, please stop at our booth, say hello to our friendly National RTAP Ambassadors, and help yourself to an assortment of training materials.

Every year, Iowa transit agency employees are invited to attend the IPTA Training Conference and Annual Meeting. This conference provides consecutive training on a variety of topics to benefit multiple staff positions such as transit leaders, managers, maintenance, drivers, administrators, and mobil...

We were so glad to share our training resources at the Minnesota RTAP Spring 2026 Transit Workshop on May 5-7, 2026 in W...
05/22/2026

We were so glad to share our training resources at the Minnesota RTAP Spring 2026 Transit Workshop on May 5-7, 2026 in Waite Park, MN, where they were well received. We look forward to participating in this informative event again in the future.

Cara Marcus, National RTAP Knowledge and Resource Manager, gave a hands-on Tips to Become a National RTAP Resource Libra...
05/21/2026

Cara Marcus, National RTAP Knowledge and Resource Manager, gave a hands-on Tips to Become a National RTAP Resource Library Super-User workshop on March 10, 2026, that demonstrated pro-tips for using the library, finding and accessing the resources you need, ordering resources from our shipping center and circulating collection, and more. Access the recording.

Did you know that National RTAP has an online Resource Library with over 1,000 full-text, high-quality, curated resources about rural and tribal transit? Car...

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5 Wheeling Avenue
Woburn, MA
01801

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Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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(888) 589-6821

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