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Introduction

On June 15th and 16th, 2022, the Crawford Area Transportation Authority (CATA) hosted the first Transit Knowledge Sharing Retreat in Erie, Pennsylvania. The event was an opportunity for transit agencies, private mobility companies, non-profit organizations, and technical assistance centers from both rural and small urban settings to convene and share insights on the state of the transportation industry. Attendance was strategically limited to about 125 attendees to foster connectivity, communication, and networking. 

Rudy Faust and Hani Shamat represented the Shared-Use Mobility Center (SUMC) at the retreat to promote the Mobility Innovation Collaborative (MIC), discuss the role of technical assistance centers, and share SUMC’s knowledge about the growth of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) in the US and its relevance for rural transit (presentations available here). 

A few key takeaways stood out to us:

Transit and Economic Development are Partners in the Rural Context

In the plenary session, Jim Becker, the Executive Director of the Economic Progress Alliance of Crawford County, and PennDOT Deputy Commissioner Jen Louwerse addressed the importance of transportation to growth and revitalization throughout Pennsylvania. Especially in the wake of COVID-19, the keynote speakers highlighted that transit provides a crucial link to employment opportunities, that access to service shapes commercial investment and revitalization efforts, and that good, reliable transportation benefits everyone.

Attention to Detail is Key in the Procurement Process

Breakout sessions on federal procurement and capital project scoping underlined the importance of diligent planning and attention to guidelines when implementing capital projects. Rich Garrity, Director of Compliance Initiatives at RLS & Associates reviewed common procurement compliance deficiencies (for example, missing required FTA clauses or the lack of a cost analysis) and presented some key resources (like FTA’s Best Practices Procurement Manual and FTA Circular 4220.1F) that can help navigate FTA requirements and avoid procurement mishaps. Micha Casebier, President of M.G. Tech-Writing, LLC, presented on key considerations for large construction projects and how to be precise in discussing the scope of work in a RFP.

Micromobility is Growing in Exciting New Ways

In addition to CATA showing off their brand new bikes (read more on CATA’s bikeshare program in SUMC’s case study here), the North American Bikeshare and Scootershare Association (NABSA) hosted a session on micromobility and industry trends. In the session, Benny Foltz, Executive Director of Heartland Bikeshare, spoke about the development of Heartland Bikeshare as a non-profit organization to operate three different programs in three Nebraska cities, and efforts to integrate the bikes with bus service in Omaha. Afterwards, David White, Executive Director of POGOH bikeshare in Pittsburgh, presented on POGOH’s free bus-to-bike connection program for transit riders, and eventual transition to a more straightforward equity program with a Mobility Justice Pass.

…as well as Mobility as a Service (MaaS)

Rudy Faust delivered a quick history of MaaS in the United States. While the standard narrative of a vision for MaaS from Finland and the Scandinavian countries has run into the “walled gardens” of data and state-level preemption policies in the US, there are signs of hope coming from the states and networks of rural systems. The California Integrated Travel Project (Cal-ITP) and the MIC grantee Minnesota Department of Transportation are integrating transit services on a regional level, largely with rural and small urban networks. In the case of Cal-ITP, they are offering a procurement template applicable beyond the state with downloadable master agreements.

In-Person Knowledge Sharing

The retreat gathered representatives from the National Rural Transit Assistance Program (National RTAP), National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM), the National Center for Applied Transit Technology (N-CATT), the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC), the North American Bike Share Association (NABSA), and of course the Shared-Use Mobility Center (SUMC). The technical assistance centers’ knowledge bases are all accessible through the Transportation Technical Assistance Coordination Library (TACL).

Although the FTA-sponsored technical assistance (TA) centers meet among themselves to coordinate knowledge sharing and assistance, the retreat hosts offered a platform that enabled their target audience to ask questions and learn about what direction each center sees their field heading in the coming year. Most importantly, in-person gatherings allowed for more informal discussions and comfort with approaching the TA centers’ staff. The informal interactions are also invaluable to the TA centers as a way to meet the implementers and see on-the-ground operations of some of the pilots and/or vehicles.

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going…

What would you like to know more about? Send questions, comments, and recommendations to: mic@sharedusemobilitycenter.org.

SUMC is planning the next MIC workshop for the Fall 2022, and would love to see you there. Stay up to date about the announcement and details of the next MIC workshop, as well as the most relevant trends in the mobility industry by subscribing to SUMC’s Mobility Hub Newsletter.