Contracting and Business Opportunities with Transportation Planning

1. Contracting and Business Opportunities with Transportation Planning • American Bus Association 2010 Marketplace • Hal Morgan, Taxicab Limousine & Paratransit Association • Dan Dalton, KFH Group

2. Background • TLPA awarded a grant from FTA to assist private transportation operators in understanding and becoming involved in the transportation planning process…and the opportunities for business and contracting that may follow • Includes opportunities for free technical assistance • Planning Ahead seminars – modules will be available on TLPA Website in near future

3. Today’s Objectives • Discuss the benefits of being involved in the transportation planning process • Provide information on the transportation planning process • Help identify potential opportunities for your business

4. Transportation Planning – the Realities • Even for the most seasoned transportation professional, the process can be convoluted and difficult to determine where you fit in • You already have plenty on your plate, so going to more meetings may not be high on your list – unless there are potential business development opportunities

5. Transportation Planning – So Why Get Involved? • Gain access to decision-makers and public transit and other transportation providers: • Opportunity to be where they meet and use that venue to network • Form partnerships and learn about opportunities to expand your services • Enable you to provide your perspective, including offering ways to provide more efficient and effective services • Chance to sell yourself and your company

6. “Eighty percent of success is showing up” -- Woody Allen

7. Some Bus Service Opportunities • Contracts to provide transit services • Intercity Bus Services • Express Commuter Services

8. Some Terms You May Hear • SAFETEA-LU • United We Ride • Mobility Management

9. Some FTA Programs You Should Know • Job Access and Reverse Commute Program • New Freedom Program • Section 5307 • Section 5311 • Section 5311(f)

10. Some Planning Process Background • Federal law requires public participation and consultation with variety of service providers …“to the maximum extent practicable” • Provides you with the opportunity to contribute ideas and provide feedback to various plans and at various levels of transportation planning: Metropolitan Rural Statewide Local

11. What is a Metropolitan Planning Organization? • A MPO is required by law in urbanized areas with a population greater than 50,000 (currently 385 throughout the country) • Develop plans and programs for existing and future expenditures based on a “3C” planning process: • Continuing • Cooperative • Comprehensive • Is the required forum for cooperative transportation decision making in the metropolitan area

12. Key Documents from the MPO Planning Process • Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) • Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) • Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP)

13. Finding Your Local MPO Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Database http://www.planning.dot.gov/default.asp

14. Other Transportation Planning • Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan • Local Transit Planning

15. Coordinated Planning Requirements • New requirement under SAFETEA-LU • Projects funded through the FTA’s Job Access and Reverse Commute and New Freedom Programs must be derived from a “locally developed coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan” • Process must include “representatives of public, private, and non-profit transportation and human service providers, and participation by members of the public”

16. Required Plan Elements • Assessment of available services that identifies current transportation providers • Assessment of transportation needs for people with disabilities, older adults, and people with low incomes (should include private transportation services) • Strategies, activities, and/or projects to address identified gaps and achieve efficiencies in service delivery • Relative priorities for implementation based on resources, time, and feasibility

17. Coordinated Transportation Plan – Example Components Relevant for Private Transportation Providers • Inventory of Public and Private Transportation Services • Transportation Needs and Issues • Gaps in intercity bus services • Intermodal transportation centers • Improved coordination between public transit, intercity bus services, and human service transportation providers • Lack of central point of contact for information on all available transportation services

18. Coordinated Transportation Planning Outcomes • Partnership between Treasure Valley Transit (TVT) and Northwestern Trailways • TVT office now serving as ticketing agent for Northwestern Trailways • Customers can call TVT Transit Center to access info on Northwestern Trailways’ services

19. Treasure Valley Transit/Northwestern Trailways Partnership “Our partnership with TVT is proof that the local planning and coordination process can lead to great things. Through the local process, we were able to learn a great deal about other providers and how we might be able to collaborate.” --Bill Brannan, Northwestern Trailways

20. Local Transit Service Planning • Many transit providers develop specific plans • May be within an MPO region, but often county-based or for services provided in non-urban areas • Process typically includes: • Inventory of available transportation services (including private transportation providers) • Assessment of unmet transportation needs • Recommendations of service alternatives and improvements

21. Tips on Becoming a Part of the Planning Process • From TLPA Members…. • Know which agencies are responsible for planning transportation improvements, how they do this and when • Work with your local MPO and their advisory councils • Join key local committees and influence their decisions • Understand your community’s demographics, economics, and development -- and how they change over time • Establish professional relationships with others in community who are interested in high-quality, multi-modal transportation services Source: “Business Growth Opportunities for TLPA Members in Federally Funded Transportation Programs”

22. More Words of Wisdom from TLPA Members • Develop relationships -- get to know your community’s leaders • Be creative • Make yourself available to the community • Make yourself heard if there’s a problem • Be prepared to invest real time and effort

23. FTA Private Enterprise Participation Website Includes More Tips on Becoming a Part of the Planning Process -- http://www.fta.dot.gov/planning/programs/planning_environment_7013.html

24. Establishing Your Value Before you venture into the transportation planning process, consider your value to the community: • What does your company have to offer? • How does the value of your company compare to other resources in the market? • Do you have knowledge of the entire transit community? Public transit, private operators, non-profits, etc. • Where does your company fit in?

25. Transportation Planning Process Recap • Become familiar with funding programs, planning terms, and planning documents • Establish your company’s value • Get to know the planners in your area • Join appropriate committees • Get to know your local transit provider • Ask questions about the planning process – when committees meet, when plans are updated, etc.

26. TLPA Toll Free Hot Line • Questions on being involved in the planning process • How to overcome problems in getting involved • Developing services for consideration in the planning process • 1-866-928-6550 • www.tlpa.org

27. Upcoming Resource • Provides a working knowledge of the transportation planning process • Discusses the benefits of being involved • Helps assess objectives for participation • Draft currently under review by TLPA advisory committee, available in early 2010

28. Contact Information • Hal Morgan, TLPA 301-984-5700 hmorgan@tlpa.org • Dan Dalton, KFH Group 301-951-8660 ddalton@kfhgroup.com