CTAA’s Executive Director Scott Bogren will provide participants with an overview of the current environment, as well as his insights into what members can expect in the coming weeks and months. Scott will discuss federal action and the pandemic’s potential impact on transit legislation and appropriations, as well as taking a look at what CTAA members should expect to see from their Association. This introductory session will include time for Q&A.

Transit systems large and small face short-term, mid-range and long term challenges caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. Normal patterns of commuting and travel have been disrupted and the “new normal” is still to emerge. Throw into this mix the need to keep front-line employees safe, loss of revenue, and a myriad of other difficulties – the need for innovative approaches has never been more imperative. A panel of transit operators will discuss their response to the pandemic, their mid-range operational changes, and then their longer term response including the opportunity to strategically re-think how mobility is delivered.

During this hour-long session, participants will hear from transportation providers from across the country in how they have shifted to ensuring safety for both their staff and their riders. As the Coronavirus pandemic continues to impact our communities, our definitions of safety, security, and public health have taken on new meanings and required new protocols. Through a virtual panel discussion, three providers will discuss how they have innovatively embraced new procedures, handled setbacks, and share lessons learned from their communities. Participants should come with questions ready as this session will be an interactive discussion about the new normal in driver and rider safety.

With the arrival of the CARES Act funds for rural and urban transit, it once seemed that many CTAA members’ only challenge would be spending their allocations. Of course, the short term and long-term realities for these agencies in terms of ridership, state/local funding, operating costs and yes, even capital projects has led to a different conclusion: how long will CARES Act funds last — and will it be long enough to get us through the long-term recovery from the global COVID-19 pandemic. And keep in mind, many CTAA members were not eligible for CARES Act relief. This session will explore how to use CARES Act funds in concert with new-found flexibility offered by FTA in local share and operating and capital funds to best maintain operations in both the short and long term. A panel with expertise at the rural, small-urban and state DOT levels will come to grips with the reality of funding during a pandemic, and most importantly after the pandemic and into whatever new normal emerges.