Community Transportation

EXPO 2020 Cancelled

Aug. 26, 2020

The continuing crisis in relation to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has made it necessary for us to cancel the 2020 Community Transportation EXPO. Coming to this decision has not been easy, but the concerns for the health and safety of our attendees left us no other choice.

Those that are currently registered for EXPO 2020 will receive an email detailing options for carrying over your registration to EXPO 2021 or requesting a refund of registration fees. We will now be offering a virtual event during the November dates that had been selected for the postponed EXPO (Nov. 16 – 19). The November online event will focus mainly on offering our members a chance to obtain or renew their CTAA certifications so there will be no lapse in credentials.

Please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience this may cause. We are looking forward to hosting you in Richmond, Va., June 13 – 17 2021, once the global health pandemic passes.

Contact Charles Dickson at dickson@ctaa.org or 202.247.8356 with additional questions.

20/20 MOBILITY INSIGHT

INTENSIVE TRAINING

The Conference Intensive sessions lead off the training portion of the annual EXPO and feature leading industry experts to communicate and instruct on vital, timely topics. These one-, two- or three-day sessions are designed to provide you the proficiencies you need to succeed in today’s rapidly evolving transportation landscape. These in-depth courses will also inspire you with new perspectives and help you learn valuable new skills.

Note: The Conference Intensives meet the training requirement for those seeking CCTM, CTPA, PASS, CCTS, PDS, VMMI, and CSSO certification or re-certification. All certification courses have a testing component.

Note: Participants must register and pay for these classes via EXPO registration.

Three-Day Class: Monday, Nov. 16- Wednesday, Nov. 18

Passenger Assistance Safety and Sensitivity (PASS)
Train-the-Trainer
PASS Master Trainers: Russ Parish and Lenzy Williams
PASS Master Trainers certify trainers so they can return back to their organization ready to train and certify drivers in the two-day PASS Driver 7.0 curriculum. PASS Trainer certification ensures that community transportation drivers have current expertise in passenger assistance techniques and sensitivity skills appropriate for serving persons with disabilities and the general public. Upon successful completion of the certification exam, attendees will receive the designation: Passenger Assistance Safety and Sensitivity (PASS) Trainer. Upon successful completion of the exam, certification is valid for three years.

Two- Day Classes: Monday, Nov. 16- Tuesday, Nov. 17

Financial Management for Transit Agencies
Senior Instructor: A.T. Stoddard, LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc.
In today’s financial management you cannot afford to be without top-notch financial management skills. You must know your true costs of providing service and be able to track those costs and manage your cash flow. Learn how to use financial information, operations data, and proven financial strategies to plan, develop, and implement your transit system objectives. Learn what data to collect and monitor to ensure success and to evaluate potential changes in service – whether it is new service, service enhancements, or reductions in service. This session will provide tools that any transit manager or supervisor can use with existing data and financial reports.

Vehicle Maintenance Management and Inspection (VMMI)
Senior Instructor: Halsey King, SAE, Halsey King & Associates, Inc.
For over 30 years, the VMMI program has trained thousands of mechanics at rural, small urban and specialized mobility providers, connecting them with the right resources to keep their buses in service. This program is designed for maintenance managers and technicians who operate/maintain complimentary vans, cutaway paratransit and small buses (i.e., less than 30-foot length) improving the maintenance oversight of these fleets of smaller transit vehicles, while adding a layer of testing, certification and performance quality. Upon successful completion of the exam, certification is valid for three years.

Certified Community Transit Supervisor (CCTS)
Senior Instructor: Michael Noel, Noel Training & Consulting, LLC.
Many supervisors are promoted from within the ranks of the operating staff, and must learn to effectively supervise their peers. In their supervisory role, these individuals must also understand the overall activities and mission of the transit organization, and they must be able to convey its practices, principles and priorities to the operating staff. The session will provide comprehensive training in leadership, working effectively within a team, advanced communication skills, the supervisor’s role in safety and in customer driven service. Upon successful completion of the exam, certification is valid for three years.

Passengers with Disabilities: Greater Accessibility Through Greater Sensitivity
Senior Instructor: John Cleveland, PhD, Cleveland Civil Rights Consulting
For people of all abilities and ages, public transportation provides a lifeline to jobs, education and medical care. The goal of this course is to provide an overview of the basic ADA service requirements that apply to public transportation related entities. This includes placing ADA in the context of civil rights, identifying the components of accessible transportation, determining whether an entity must provide complementary paratransit service, reviewing compliance procedures, and discussing enforcement and investigation processes.

Preparing for the Certified Community Transit Manager (CCTM) Exam
Senior Instructor: Chris Zeilinger, CTAA
Prepare for our industry’s professional management exam and gain a fresh overview of all the key ingredients of effective transit management while broadening your knowledge base and building your professional skills. CCTM status marks the highest performance and efficiency attainable in the community transportation industry; it is proof of the ability to manage a comprehensive and dynamic community transportation system. The CCTM and CTPA application forms must be completed by Nov.1, 2020 and upon successful completion of the exam, certification is valid for three years.

Certified Safety and Security Officer (CSSO)
Senior Instructor: Joe Seitz, The Learning & Performance Improvement Group
The CSSO program is designed to help personnel build the transportation organization, enhance the professionalism of the internal team, safely serve its customers, fulfill its responsibilities in assisting in community preparedness, identify internal safety and security strengths and weaknesses while reducing system exposure to liability. The CSSO training leads the Individual through the nine critical areas of transit safety covering Leadership and Management, Transit Operations, Vehicles and Maintenance, Facilities and Maintenance, Personnel, Training, Organizational Safety, Organizational Security and Community Emergency Response Preparedness. To complete your certification, you will have the option to perform an on-site Safety Skills Assessment of your existing operations OR take the CSSO Certification exam. Certification is valid for three years.

Monday, Nov. 16: One Day Classes

Applying Human-Centered Design Techniques to Transportation Design
Senior Instructor: Amy Conrick, CTAA
We know we need to move beyond “the way we’ve always done things,” but where to start? This course, designed for transit leaders and mobility management professionals, addresses how to define your “customer” and leverage customer insights to inspire innovation in your operations. Participants will be introduced to human-centered design (aka “design thinking”) techniques that can help lead to innovation and more responsive transportation and have a chance to practice these techniques in class. The course will also incorporate examples of communities that have applied human-centered design in solving health care and job access transportation issues.

Three Critical Transit Marketing Tools: Websites, Apps and Social Media
Senior Instructor: Selena Barlow
This intensive will address the key ways in which transit systems market their services digitally – with customer focused websites, mobile information apps and effective use of social media and digital advertising. The presenter, Selena Barlow, is the owner of Transit Marketing LLC. She has worked with well over 100 transit agencies to market their services and will utilize her many years of experience to provide insights and examples that are relevant to CTAA’s participants.

Procurement and Compliance
Senior Instructor: Kelly Shawn
Many transit providers and communities require contracted services because they may not have the capacity to provide the services themselves. In other cases, contracted services like maintenance, operations and management may prove to be more cost effective through a contract versus in-house. This session will provide a comprehensive review of third-party contract management starting with the identification of need for contracted service, procurement process, contract award, contract oversight and contract termination or renewal. We will discuss all aspects of contracting services effectively and responsibly while reducing exposure to risk.

Grant Development and Writing
Senior Instructor: Dr. Matilda Harris
Navigating the world of grants and grant development can be daunting. Learn from experts in the grant development process how to convert your ideas into fundable projects. Acquire the skills needed to:
- Identify key sections of successful proposals
- Secure partnerships with private sources of funding
- How to write a convincing argument for funding
- Create an effective business plan
- Utilize the Logic Model to clarify and graphically display your projects intent
- Address outcomes and deliverables
- Review, score and discuss a full transportation related proposal
The training addresses the overall strategic plan for writing grants, including: needs statement, mission, goals, objectives, activities, evaluation, key personnel, and budgets. You’ll also learn how to utilize logic models to clarify and graphically display your project’s inputs and outcomes. Whether you new to the field of grant development or a seasoned veteran this course will enhance the skills you need to succeed in your search for funding. Note: Please bring a laptop and power cord to this training.

Tuesday, Nov. 17: One Day Classes

Technology Transforming Mobility: The EXPO 2020 Technology Showcase
The Community Transportation sector is undergoing a dramatic transformation driven by the development and adoption of new technologies. Today’s rider expects a higher level of information and service that these new technologies can provide. In order to survive, community transportation programs will need to understand and apply these innovations. For the first time, the Community Transportation EXPO will provide an opportunity for attendees to learn about the latest technology innovations directly from the companies that are developing them. The Transit Technology Showcase on Tuesday, Nov. 17 will be a full-day exploration of the technologies transforming transportation presented by the companies developing the technologies.

Recruiting and Retaining a Sustainable Driver Workforce
Senior Instructor: Caryn Souza, CTAA
Employees are the most-valued asset of any organization. It is of utmost importance that leaders commit to an environment that treats employees professionally and fairly. Building a winning team is established on the foundation of the organization’s mission and tied in with positive expectations, open communication and a climate of good will based on the overall goals of the organization. Learn how to expand the skills that will help you achieve the greatest effectiveness from your workforce. In this interactive session, you will learn how to effectively hire the right people, evaluate job skills that directly relate to your job requirements, establish performance standards, and coach and counsel to motivate employees for peak performance. This course will reinforce what you already know while expanding your view about all aspects of effective employee relations. Whether it’s the fundamentals about the legal side of HR to performance based management and evidence based leadership by the end of this course you’ll be refocused on promoting your organization’s values through your people and succeed at being a compassionate, professional employer. If you manage people, this session is for you.

ADA and Title VI
Senior Instructor: Kelly Shawn
“Transportation for All” is a theme throughout the transit industry, and thanks to a couple of monumental Civil Rights laws, transit embraces fair and equitable transit practices. This session will discuss the background behind the Americans With Disabilities Act and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Topics will include the implementation and compliance challenges with the laws as they relate to passenger transportation. Are you fully implementing the FTA requirements under these rules?

NEMT Deep Dive
Senior Instructors: Scott Bogren and Alex King, CTAA
When it comes to the non-emergency medical transportation space, a new decade calls for more than the typical discussions of policy, practice, and payment. This year CTAA is diving deep into discussions of how to deploy new technologies, finds fresh partners, and creates measurable outcomes. It’s time to stop talking about innovation, and time to start acting. This day-long intensive session will provide a specifically curated agenda that blends expert panels, engaging activities, and group discussions for community transportation providers, NEMT systems, health care stakeholders, and technology companies who are looking for a deep dive into the world of NEMT. Attendees will have the opportunity to talk with NEMT technology services, learn tips and tricks for working with brokers, learn directly from insurers about what they want from NEMT service, and explore emerging new service models and quality metrics.

Emergency Preparedness and Response
Senior Instructor: Ream Lazaro, Contributor to TCRP Report 160- Paratransit Emergency Preparedness and Operations Handbook
This training is for agencies that provide fixed-route and/or demand-response services. The purpose of this session is to present guidance, strategies, and tools to plan and prepare for, respond to, and recover from a range of emergencies. This workshop will take an all-hazards approach that has applicability to a wide range of notice and no-notice emergency events that include accidents, incidents, acts of nature, hazardous material release, criminal activity, and terrorism. This training is designed to assist transit providers in planning to meet the needs of their customers and communities during local emergencies. It will also address coordination with Emergency Management, first responders, and other key stakeholders as required for a transit provider to carry out its emergency response role successfully.

Using Technology and Data for Better Transit and Transportation Services
Instructor: Thomas Craig, Trillium Solutions, Inc.
For transit agencies that want to better serve their passengers, boost ridership, or use their capacity more efficiently, there is data that can help them make those decisions. This intensive will help managers learn about data possibilities, collection, and aggregation of mobility options and payment forms into one, data-rich platform, and what to do with that fire hose of information to accomplish their agency’s goals.

The Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) and its members believe that mobility is a basic human right. From work and education to life-sustaining health care and human services programs to shopping and visiting with family and friends, mobility directly impacts quality of life.