National Transit Database Rural Reporting

1. National Transit DatabaseRural Reporting CalACT Spring Conference & Expo May 22, 2014

2. NTD Contact Information Federal Transit Administration National Transit Database 943 Glenwood Station Lane, Suite 102 Charlottesville, VA 22901 (888) 252-0936 NTDHelp@dot.gov Monday – Friday 8:00am – 7:00pm Eastern

3. NTD Program @ FTA Headquarters

4. Presenters

5. Agenda • Background • What is the National Transit Database? • Who Reports? • Data Submission • How Does Data Get to NTD? • Collection & Validation • State 5311 program • NTD Legacy (Current), NTD NextGen (In Development) • Data Product • What does FTA do with the data? • What data resources are produced?

6. Background

7. What is the NTD? • Online reporting system for transit providers • Title 49 U.S.C. 5335(a) establishes the National Transit Database: “The Secretary shall. . . maintain a reporting system, using uniform categories to accumulate public transportation financial, operating, and asset condition information . . . using a uniform system of accounts”

8. Why does the NTD exist? • Serves as a tool for public transportation service planning • Collects information for any level of government to make public sector investment decisions • Is a resource for peer agency comparisons, state-wide statistics • Supports FTA apportionment formulas • 5307, 5311, 5329, 5337

9. Who Reports? • Beneficiaries of federal funds • State reports data for all 5311 subrecipients • Data must be reported according to FTA’s Uniform System of Accounts and the NTD reporting manual. • Voluntary reporters • FTA encourages all public transportation providers to report, provided they can adhere to reporting requirements • Urban providers (5307 beneficiaries) report directly to the NTD Urban Module, not through the State

10. Who Benefits from §5311? §5311(a) – Definitions • Recipient – a State or Indian tribe that receives a transit program grant directly from the Federal Transit Administration • Subrecipient – a State or local governmental authority, a nonprofit organization, or an operator of public transportation or intercity bus service that receives Federal transit program grants funds indirectly through a recipient. (Chapter 53 of title 49, as amended by MAP-21)

11. Funding Structure FTA Caltrans Recipient: Provider A Provider B Provider C Provider D Provider E Provider F Subrecipients:

12. NTD and CTSAs • NTD collects service data for transit provided by Coordinated Transportation Service Agencies (CTSAs) • To report, service must meet NTD requirements • Challenges: • Definition of public transportation • Identifying sources of funds

13. Data Reporting PROCESS

14. Data Reporting Process Closeout Data Product Raw Data NTD Senior Staff/Program Managers

15. Finances, Assets, and Service DATA Collection

16. Data Collection Caltrans sends out form known as RU-20 each year to subrecipients of 5311. Templates available here.

17. Types of Data Collected • §5311(b)(4) – Data Collection “each recipient shall submit an annual report . . . on capital investment, operations, and service provided with funds received under this section, including – ” (Chapter 53 of title 49, as amended by MAP-21)

18. www.ntdprogram.gov

19. Public Transit Service • Agencies must report revenue miles, revenue hours, and unlinked passenger trips for each mode of public transportation operated by the agency. • Public transportation • regular and continuing • general or special service • open to public • Includes complimentary ADA & non-emergency medical

20. Public Transit Service - Modes • The most common modes for transportation in rural areas include: • Bus (Fixed, Deviated-Fixed, Both) • Demand Response • Demand Taxi • Vanpool • Each mode presents unique challenges in terms of data collection

21. Revenue Service • The time when a vehicle is available to the general public and there is an expectation of carrying passengers • These passengers may: • Directly pay fares • Be subsidized by public policy • Provide payment through some contractual arrangement • Vehicles operated in fare free service are considered to be in revenue service

22. Revenue Service • Layover and recovery time are included • The hours scheduled at the end of the route before the departure time of the next trip • This time is scheduled for two reasons: • To provide time for the vehicle operator to take a break (layover) • To provide time to get back on schedule before the next trip departs if the trip arrives late at the end of the route (recovery)

23. Revenue Service • The following examples are excluded from revenue service: • Deadhead • Vehicle maintenance testing • School bus service • Charter service

24. Deadhead • The miles and hours that a vehicle travels when out of revenue service • Deadhead includes: • Leaving or returning to the garage or yard facility • Changing routes • When there is no expectation of carrying revenue passengers

25. Unlinked Passenger Trips • These are the number of passengers who board public transportation vehicles • Passengers are counted each time they board vehicles no matter how many vehicles they use to travel from their origin to their destination

26. Sponsored Trips • Sponsored service is paid, in whole or in part, directly to the transit provider by a third party. • May be offered by providers as part of the Coordinated Human Services Transportation Plan • Common sponsors include: • the Veterans Administration • Medicaid • sheltered workshops • The Arc • Assisted Living Centers • Head Start programs

27. Rural CA - Total Trips by Type

28. Revenue Miles & Hours • Vehicle Revenue Miles (VRM) • include the miles that vehicles are scheduled to, or actually travel while in revenue service • Vehicle Revenue Hours (VRH) • include the hours that vehicles are scheduled to or actually travel while in revenue service

29. Rural CA - Revenue Miles by Mode

30. Examples - Revenue Service • Through a broker, Nursing Home schedules a Medicaid-sponsored trip • Bob’s Dial-a-Ride cutaway departs from garage @ 10:45 • Arrives @ 11:00, 5 passengers board vehicle @ 11:02 • Drops off passengers at destination 3 miles away @ 11:15 • Resulting Data • 3 vehicle revenue miles • 0.25 vehicle revenue hours • 5 sponsored unlinked passenger trips

31. Volunteers • Many coordinated systems use volunteer drivers • The reporting agency may include volunteer trips IF: • It has control over volunteer resources • It ensures there is an attempt to share rides • It tracks service data: revenue miles, revenue hours, trips • It records cost of operating, includes fuel reimbursement • The following examples are not reportable to NTD: • Passengers call the volunteer driver directly for transport, bypassing transit provider • Passengers are transported by a family member or friend • Passengers self-transport to the final destination

32. How to Record Financial Data § 5335 (b) – Reporting and Uniform Systems Accrual Accounting Expenses are recorded when incurred, regardless of whether or not receipt of the revenue takes place in the same reporting period Ex. A passenger buying $10 worth of fare, but only expending $5. (Chapter 53 of title 49, as amended by MAP-21)

33. How to Record Financial Data § 5335 (b) – Reporting and Uniform Systems Accrual Accounting Expenditures are recorded as soon as they result in liabilities for benefits received, regardless of whether or not payment of the expenditure is made in the same reporting period. Ex. An employee receives a paycheck 10 days after it was issued. The receipt date is in a new fiscal year. (Chapter 53 of title 49, as amended by MAP-21)

34. Financial Information • Report the total amount of expenses incurred by your agency annually • This information is separated into two functions on rural NTD forms: • Operating Expenses • Includes administrative/vehicle maintenance • Capital Expenses • Expenses are broken out by source of funding used to cover the expense.

35. Operating Expenses • Agencies report • The day-to-day expenses of operating and maintaining vehicles; maintaining other equipment, buildings, and grounds • General administration costs including marketing and customer support; finance and procurement; planning and service development; legal costs

36. Operating Expenses Examples: California: • Salaries, wages, benefits • Utilities – Electric, water • Materials and Supplies • Equipment lease and rental • Cleaning services • Insurance • Taxes

37. Capital Expenses • Agencies report: • The expenses related to the purchase of equipment where equipment means an article of non-expendable personal property having a useful life of more than one year • An acquisition cost which equals the lesser of • The capitalization level established by the government unit for financial statement purposes • $5,000 (Office of Management and Budget, Circular A87)

38. Capital Expenses California: Examples: • Vehicles • Buildings

39. Recording Expenses • Subrecipients receive funding from different grants and have access to multiple sources of revenue • When reporting to the State, subrecipients must: • Report the original source of funds • Report the total amount used for reimbursement NOT the total grant or award.

40. Sources of Revenue • Four major categories • Subrecipients must report revenues as: • Federal • State • Local • Other (Directly Generated)

41. Local • Financial assistance from local entities that support the operation of the transit system, including: • Tax levies: A specified amount from local levies that is dedicated to supporting public transit operation costs • General funds:Transfers from the general fund of local governments to cover the Local Share portion of the transit system budget • Specified contributions: Contributions from city, county or other municipal government towards the Local Share portion of the transit system budget

42. State Funds • State programs that support public transportation vary • Caltrans Grant Programs: • Partnership Planning for Sustainable Transportation • Transit Planning for Sustainable Communities • Transit Planning for Rural Communities • Environmental Justice Transportation Planning Grants • Community-Based Transportation Planning Grants

43. Federal Funds • Caltrans is the designated recipient of 5311 • Administers FTA grants for rural and small urban • Other Common FTA Grants supporting CTSA providers • 5310 (Elderly Individuals and Individuals with Disabilities) • Previous: 5316 (Job Access and Reverse Commute) • Previous: 5317 (New Freedom) • Coordinated/Consolidated Human Service Plans

44. Other; Directly Generated • Sources in this category include: • Fares • Contracts • Bus Advertisements • Vending Machines • Donations

45. Rural CA - Operating Assistance Expended by Source

46. DATA Validation

47. Caltrans Validation • After transit provider or reporting entity sends to State, 5311 office validates before submitting to NTD • Several data integrity checks

48. NTD Validation • Integrity • Revenue miles per revenue hour • Consistency • 2012 vs. 2013 • Timeliness • Caltrans submits on 11/30/13 • Completeness • Service data for volunteers • Accuracy • Revenue miles vs. actual miles • Validity • Positive numbers only for RU-20

49. Rural CA - Average Revenue MPH by Mode

50. Revenue Hours per Mile