National Transit Database Rural Reporting

NTDNational Transit Database

Federal Transportation Administration

National Transit DatabaseRural Reporting

CalACT Spring Conference & ExpoMay 22, 2014

NTD Contact Information

Federal Transit Administration

National Transit Database943 Glenwood Station Lane, Suite 102

Charlottesville, VA 22901

(888) 252-0936NTDHelp@dot.govMonday – Friday

8:00am – 7:00pm Eastern

NTD Program @ FTA Headquarters

Keith Gates Gary DeLormeNTD Program Manager NTD Senior Advisor

202-366-1794 202-366-1652

keith.gates@dot.gov gary.delorme@dot.gov

Presenters

Andy Lofton Joe EldredgeValidation Project Manager Validation Analyst

434-260-1175 434-993-8690

andy.lofton.ctr@dot.gov joseph.eldredge.ctr@dot.gov

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?

BACKGROUND

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”

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

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

Who Benefits from §5311?

§5311(a) – Definitions

(1)Recipient – a State or Indian tribe that receives a transit program grant directly from the Federal Transit Administration

(2)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)

Funding Structure

CaltransRecipient:

Subrecipients:

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

DATA REPORTING PROCESS

Data Reporting Process

NTD Senior Staff/Program

Managers Data Product

Closeout

Raw Data

DATA COLLECTIONFinances, Assets, and Service

Data Collection

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

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 – ”

• Total operating costs • Vehicle revenue miles • Fleet size• Sources of revenue • Ridership • Fleet type

• Total annual capital costs • Related facilities

www.ntdprogram.gov

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

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

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

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)

Revenue Service

• The following examples are excluded from revenue service:– Deadhead– Vehicle maintenance testing– School bus service– Charter service

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

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

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

Rural CA - Total Trips by Type

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

Rural CA - Revenue Miles by Mode

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Operating Expenses

Examples:

• Salaries, wages, benefits• Utilities – Electric, water• Materials and Supplies• Equipment lease and

rental• Cleaning services • Insurance• Taxes

California:

Year Average2012 $71,930,2922011 $75,322,6672010 $80,381,597

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)

Capital Expenses

Examples:•Vehicles•Buildings

California:Year Average2012 $23,029,0692011 $12,403,8602010 $17,215,114

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.

Sources of Revenue

• Four major categories• Subrecipients must report revenues as:– Federal– State– Local– Other (Directly Generated)

• 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

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

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

Other; Directly Generated

• Sources in this category include:– Fares– Contracts– Bus Advertisements– Vending Machines– Donations

Rural CA - Operating Assistance Expended by Source

DATA VALIDATION

Caltrans Validation

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

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

Rural CA - Average Revenue MPH by Mode

Revenue Hours per Mile

NTD ONLINE REPORTING

www.ntdprogram.gov

Resources

NTD NextGen

• New online reporting system– Currently in development; currently in pilot testing– Content very similar to NTD Legacy– Interface mimics popular online tax software

• Subrecipients file an annual Identification Form (B-10) that determines structure of report.

NTD NextGen (cont.)

• Structure for general rural public transit providers:– Reduced Reporting Form (RR-20)

• Layout varies based on reporter type selected• Comparable to Financial, Service, Safety sections of RU-20

– Revenue Vehicle Inventory (A-30) • Comparable to Vehicles subsection of RU-20

– Maintenance Facilities Form (A-10)• Comparable to Facilities subsection of RU-20

New Requirements

• Beginning with Report Year 2014, subrecipients will provide more information on revenue vehicle inventory.

• RVI ID• Number of Vehicles in Total Fleet• Vehicle Type• Ownership Type• Funding Source• Number of Active Vehicles in Fleet• Number of ADA Accessible Vehicles• Fuel Type• Vehicle Length• Seating Capacity• Used for another mode

New Requirements

• Beginning with Report Year 2014, subrecipients will allocate operating expenses by Mode and Type of Service (Directly Operated or Purchased)

Cost Allocation Methods

• Determine which expenses are direct expenses and can be easily traced to a particular mode/TOS.

• Determine which expenses are joint expenses. These costs are incurred for the benefit of more than one mode/TOS and cannot be easily traced to a specific mode/TOS.

• Allocate joint expenses or shared costs to each mode/TOS.

Cost Allocation Methods (cont.)

• Recognizing that some agencies may not already allocate joint costs by mode/TOS, NTD suggests common allocation variables:– Revenue Hours– Revenue Miles– Number of Employees– Ridership

Example—Allocating by VRM

• Subrecipient operates a Dial-a-Ride or Demand Response (DR) service and a fixed-route bus (MB) service– Collects Annual Vehicle Revenue Miles (VRM) for each

mode separately. • DR: 200,000 VRM• MB: 300,000 VRM

– Does not allocate joint Operating Costs by mode. • Total Annual Operating Expenses: $1,000,000

Example—Allocating by VRM

DATA PRODUCT

Data Product Uses

• Public transportation service planning• Facilitate public sector investment decisions • Peer grouping and agency comparisons, state-

wide statistics• FTA apportionment formulas– 5307, 5311, 5329, 5337

Transportation Planning

• Serves as a base for public transportation service planning– Example: Toolkit for Rural Community Coordinated

Transportation Services• Published by FTA in 2004; used Rural NTD data to study

efficient coordinated systems

Comparisons and Performance Measurement

• Resource for peer agency comparisons, state-wide statistics – Performance measures development, as explained by

CalACT

Cost per Mile by Region

Rural CA – Number of Vehicles by Type and Manufacture Year

FTA-funded State/Local-funded

State/Local

RESOURCES

www.ntdprogram.gov

Manual

Templates

Reporting Manual

The manual provides:- An overview of NTD- An in-depth explanation

of each form- Line-by-line form

instructions - Examples

Webinars & Screen Sharing

• Analysts are available to deliver Webinars when requested to help review the reporting process.

• Remote access and screen sharing can help agencies navigate the online reporting system.

Thank You

Jacklyn Montgomery, CalACT

Katherine Pongratz, CalTrans

California Public Transit Operators

Questions?

• Contact– Joe EldredgeJoseph.Eldredge.CTR@dot.gov– Loucas LamkinLoucas.Lamkin.CTR@dot.gov– NTD Help Desk(888) 252-0936NTDHelp@dot.gov

Line 01

For consistency, NTD asks that the full legal name is provided. This helps those who are unfamiliar with your agency correctly identify you.Acronyms can be provided on a different line.

Line 01

If your agency changes its legal name, please report the name the agency is operated under on the last day of the reporting period. Please be sure to notify the analyst of the change.

Line 01

NTD offers two places to report mailing addresses. The line “mailing address line 1” must be filled out even though there is a separate line for Post Office Boxes.

Line 01

Please report the last day of your report year to ensure data is being reported for the correct report period and so analysts can reconcile your data with another agency, if necessary.

Line 01

You do not have to restate the P.O. Box if it is given in Mailing Address 1 line.

Line 01

List up to five counties. If there are more, list only the county where the agency is headquartered followed by the number of additional counties. If multiple states, include the state in parenthesis.

Line 01

If you do not have a website, please enter N/A in the URL box.

Line 02

Please keep the contact information updated from year to year. Notify DOT if the phone number or contact person changes within the report year.

Line 03

“Other” is usually only selected for subrecipients who are in the planning stage (not operating modes).

If you select, please be sure to describe the service area in the box that appears next to the window.

Line 04

All modes must be reported separately.

Line 04

NTD validation analysts can help you determine whether your mode should be “other”

Line 04

A process should be in place to try to ride share. If not, this service is not considered public transportation.

Line 06 - Revenue Sources

Report revenues expended NOT earnedThe grant award amount can be larger than the amount actually used.

Revenues expended should be reported according the revenue’s original source.

Line 06

If you do not track fares, but instead accept donations, report this on the “Other Funds” line.

If the program is fare-free and supported by a third party, please report that contribution on the appropriate line.

Line 07

Contract Revenues do not include:- advertising- purchase of transit passes or other fare media- funds received pursuant to a service

agreement with a State of local social service agency or a private social service organization

Lines 08 - 09

Local sources used for operating assistance.

Do not report funding passed through the state from a federal grant on Line 09. The line is intended for state-level programs only.

Line 10a – 10b

If 5309 funds were expended on operating activities, report those funds in Column a.

Ensure the funds are not from 5339.

Line 10a – 10b

A match for the 5310 program should be reported. This may have been provided by another party, such as the state and would be reported as state funds.

Line 10c – 10f

If a tribe contributes funds towards an existing service with Tribal Transit Program dollars, those funds should show on line 10d.

Line 10g – 10j

Enter 0s if no funds were expended from these programs.

Line 10k – 10l

Report all other FTA program funds on line 10k.

Line 10k – 10l

Report federal Medicaid and other federal programs not listed, on line 10l

State Medicaid on Line 09 for state funds.

Line 11

Line 11 is a summation of all sources of funding, line 06-10l.

Must equal total federal funds expended during current report year.

Line 11a

Report any donations and contributions from sources other than federal, state or local governments.

Line 12

Line 12 is a summation of all funding sources, lines 06-11a.

RU-20Federal Transit AdministrationNational Transit Database

Validation Tip

Line 05 and Line 12 should match.

Line 12 is a sum of all funding sources used to cover the expense listed on Line 05.

Line 13

To add new vehicles, click add fleet group.

If the vehicles acquired are the same type and manufacture year, they must be reported on the same line.

Line 13

Choose the vehicle type that best matches the vehicle.Year of manufacture is not model year.

Line 13

The largest source of funding for the vehicle should be reported.

Line 13

To delete a fleet, click the delete button and then save the form. That entire fleet group will be removed.

If only one vehicle was removed from a fleet, edit the number in column g.

Line 14 – Validation Tip

The summation of column “a” should always be larger than the summation of column “g” or the values should match

Line 15

Enter 0 if the vehicles are serviced at a local station.

Line 16 and Line 17

Report the number of volunteer drivers available to the agency and the number of vehicles routinely used.

Line 18

Service data by mode

Line 18

Report all miles traveled in revenue service. Please exclude deadhead, training, testing, and school bus and charter services.

Line 18

Report all hours traveled in revenue service. Please exclude deadhead, training, testing, and school bus and charter services.

Line 18 – Example

Line 18

One bus makes 40 trips a day, is that what you are asking here?

Line 18

Passenger trips are individual boardings, i.e., each time a person gets “on-board” a vehicle. The total trips will be the total passenger count for the year.

Line 20, 21, 22

- Immediate transport to a hospital - A death within 30 days- Property damage >$25,000

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