Research for the AASHTO Standing Committee on Public Transportation. Task 65. Best Practices for State DOTs to Meet Rural Bus Fleet Replacement and Expansion Needs

Adequate and timely capital investments to meet core infrastructure needs are two of the most significant challenges faced by many State departments of transportation (DOT's) as they administer the federal formula grant programs. It cannot be stressed enough that maintaining transit assets in a state of good repair is critical for the future of transit providers and to the state, and federal agencies that fund both infrastructure investments and operations costs. Today more than ever, the availability of capital resources to maintain a state of good repair, especially for bus replacement and fleet expansion is an extremely important element of effective and efficient rural transit services. In planning for these challenges, many DOTS' have traditionally relied on timely and consistent access to federal funds as the bulk of the funding to help meet these needs. Recent changes in federal programs (e.g. changes to the Bus and Bus Facilities, Section 5309 program as it traditionally existed) have significantly altered the landscape by greatly reducing the primary funding source for many States and requiring the "banking" of multi-year apportionments to make any significant expenditure. In light of today's tenuous economic and fluctuating service climates, of particular concern is the ability to realistically meet the vehicle needs for Section 5311 and Section 5310 programs statewide. Faced with increased emphasis on state of good repair, decreased federal investment in traditional vehicle acquisition and replacement programs, demands for increased capacity and limited budgets to supplement sub-recipients, there is a need for an understanding of successful options to meet the vehicle needs of these programs. The objective of this research is to provide information that documents the different policies and programs used by State DOT's to help meet statewide bus replacement and fleet expansion needs. The focus will be on options and approaches that address the following: (1) Expanding capacity in light of limited Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funding; (2) Extending the useful life /revenue service of FTA funded vehicles; (3) Methods for allocating federal funds to the competing demands from subrecipients for operating assistance versus capital needs; and (4) Methods used to respond to replacement and expansion needs that include significant nonfederal funding options This will be done through a compilation and comparison of state DOT policies, programs and practices regarding: acquisition methods (e.g. purchase versus lease); extending useful life (e.g. refurbishing, rehabilitation, limited service); asset management practices aimed at keeping vehicles in a state of good repair and funding allocations between subrecipient operating and capital assistance.

• Record URL:
  http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=3945
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $100000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 20-65, Task

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW, Suite 225
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Project Managers:

  Chisholm-Smith, Gwen

• Start Date: 20150310
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• Source Data: RiP Project 39205

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Asset management; Best practices; Buses; Fleet management; Government funding; Maintenance; Rural transit; State departments of transportation
• Subject Areas: Finance; Maintenance and Preservation; Policy; Public Transportation; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01556640
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 20-65, Task
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Mar 11 2015 1:01AM