Three-Day Intensive

Passenger Assistance Safety and Sensitivity (PASS) Train-the-Trainer
Nov. 8-10
Presenters: Mike Watts
Class Size: 25
Course Description: The (PASS) Train-the-Trainer Certification Program ensures that community transportation drivers have current expertise in passenger assistance techniques and sensitivity skills appropriate for serving persons with disabilities. This program certifies trainers who can then train drivers. Some of the advantages of offering the PASS certification program is the ability to reduce organizational liability; comprehensive, up-to-date training on the assistance drivers should be providing to passengers with special needs; intensive emergency situation training; certification oversight provided by national leaders in the community transportation field; and updates for all participants on relevant regulatory changes. The certification is valid for three years and can be renewed online or by attending a PASS intensive.

Two-Day Intensives

Vehicle Maintenance Management and Inspection (VMMI)
Nov. 8-9
Presenter: Halsey King
Class Size: 25
Course Description: The Vehicle Maintenance Management and Inspection (VMMI) training program promotes the community transportation industry’s commitment to safe, reliable transportation through building up the professional skills of maintenance personnel and managers. This certification is designed to improve the maintenance oversight of fleets of smaller transit vehicles (i.e., less that 30-foot length). The certification is valid for three years.

Certified Community Transit Supervisor (CCTS)
Nov. 8-9
Presenter: Michael Noel
Class Size: 25
Course Description: This two-day classroom certification incorporates a wide variety of skills necessary to successfully manage front-line employees and an online self-paced prerequisite course. The course includes discussion and exercises that includes defining the supervisor’s role, succeeding as a new supervisor, communicating effectively, leading your team, coaching and counseling, conflict management and decision making, and transit supervisor responsibilities. The certification is valid for three years.

Passengers with Disabilities: Greater Accessibility through Greater Sensitivity
Nov. 8-9
Presenter: John Cleveland
Class Size: 25
Course Description: Creating greater sensitivity to passengers with disabilities, increases the level of full accessibility to transit service. Accessibility is presented in a framework of proactively removing barriers to transportation that arise through discrimination based on disability. Learning how different types of disabilities require different levels of assistance and communication increases both levels of sensitivity and accessibility. All material is presented from the perspective of the awareness of and sensitivity to diverse types of disabilities to include physical, developmental, cognitive, intellectual and hidden disabilities.

Preparing for the Certified Community Transit Manager (CCTM) and Certified Transit Program Administrator (CTPA) Exam
Nov. 8-9
Presenter: Chris Zeilinger
Class Size: 25
Course Description: 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. For those state agency personnel who work in our industry, CTPA certification affords states’ highest caliber public servants with recognition for their knowledge and accomplishments in working with public and community transportation grants programs.

The CCTM and CTPA applications must be completed and will be reviewed before the course begins and upon successful completion of the exam, the certification is valid for three years.

Certified Safety and Security Officer (CSSO)
Nov. 8-9
Presenter: Joe Seitz
Class Size: 25
Course Description: A commitment to safety has long been a hallmark of community transportation programs. This commitment extends both to the riding public and to the women and men who work in the nation’s community transportation systems. The CSSO certification 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 and reduce system exposure to liability. The certification is valid for three years.

Financial Management for Transit Agencies
Nov. 8-9
Presenter: A.T. Stoddard
Class Size: 25
Course Description: 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 two-day session will provide tools that any transit manager or supervisor can use with existing data and financial reports.

One-Day Intensives

Applying Human-Centered Design Techniques to Transportation Design
Nov. 8
Presenter: Amy Conrick
Class Size: 30
Course Description: 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.

Transit Marketing Tools for this Brave New World
Nov. 8
Presenter: Selena Barlow
Class Size: 30
Course Description: A transit agency’s communications with customers increasingly occur on line. This intensive will address the key ways in which transit systems can market their services digitally – with customer focused websites, mobile information apps, effective use of social media and digital advertising and virtual outreach. A transit agency’s website is often the potential customer’s first interaction with the system. It needs to clearly and quickly answer the many questions that a first-time rider has, while also meeting the information needs of long-time users. During these times of rapidly changing services, it needs to be a source for up to the minute information. Mobile Apps such as Google Maps, Transit and Moovit make using transit as easy as driving and allow potential users to decide when transit is the optimal travel mode. They are the first step in moving towards MaaS (Mobility as a Service). Social media is a tool that allows transit agencies to engage directly with existing riders, letting them know what to expect from day to day, while digital and social media advertising can be used to reach new audiences. As traditional outreach efforts have become impossible, video meetings and events have become a way to maintain relationships with important stakeholders or rider groups. The intensive will address how each of these tools can be used to maintain and build transit ridership, what they can and can’t do, and how they fit into the overall transit marketing toolkit.

Procurement & Compliance
Nov. 8
Presenter: Kelly Shawn
Class Size: 30
Course Description: 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.

Building a Sustainable Driver Workforce
Nov. 8
Presenter: Caryn Souza
Class Size: 30
Course Description: You know that drivers are the front-line representatives for your agency. So, what can transit leaders do to address the current driver shortage? Organizational awareness, executive support, and understanding effective employee relations are critical factors impacting your service and are key in any effort to address driver shortages. Very few decisions a supervisor makes has the importance of hiring an individual, particularly in the critical customer service position as a driver. The effort and attention that’s put into all aspects of employee retention has a direct correlation on the need for driver recruitment. Throughout this interactive session, you’ll learn about all aspects of driver recruitment and retention with the focus on building a sustainable driver workforce that engages the best people with the right attitude, which ultimately leads to job satisfaction and reduced employee turnover.

ADA & Title VI
Nov. 9
Presenter: Kelly Shawn
Class Size: 30
Course Description: “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?