National Transit Database

1. National Transit Database The Federal Transit Administration collects operating data from rural agencies receiving federal program 5311 funding. The data is then entered into the National Transit Database and used to generate statistics of transit system performance throughout the United States.

2. Sources of Operating Revenue Expended • Annual Operating Expenses – all employees’ wages and salaries, fringe benefits, operating supplies such as fuel and oil, contractors’ charges for services, taxes, repair and maintenance services, parts and supplies, equipment leases and rentals, marketing, insurance, administrative expenses. • Should NOT include depreciation of equipment, costs of providing transportation services not available to general public, and interest paid on loans on capital equipment

3. Sources of Operating Revenues Expended • Contract Revenues – reimbursement by any organization, government, agency, or company as a result of a formal contractual agreement with the transit service operator to provide trips to a specific passenger or group of passengers • Examples include: TD grants/contracts, Medicaid, contract revenues used to provide trips as a subcontractor to another agency

4. Sources of Operating Revenues Expended • Local Operating Assistance – financial assistance from local entities that support the operation of the transit system. They include, but are not limited to: • Tax levies • General funds • Specified contributions • Donations • Other

5. Sources of Operating Revenues Expended • State Operating Assistance – financial assistance from any state agency that supports the operation of the transit system. It includes, but is not limited to: • Tax levies • General funds • Specified contributions

6. Sources of Capital Funds Expended • Local Capital Assistance – financial assistance from local entities to assist in paying capital. They include: • Tax levies • General funds • Specified contributions • Reserve funds • Donations

7. Sources of Capital Funds Expended • State Capital Assistance – financial assistance from any state agency to assist in paying capital costs.

8. Modes of Transportation Provided • Fixed route • Deviated fixed route • Demand response • Vanpool

9. Modes of Transportation Provided • Annual Vehicle Revenue Miles • Annual Vehicle Revenue Hours • Regular Passenger Trips • Sponsored Passenger Trips

10. Types of Vehicles • Automobile • Bus • Cutaway • Minivan • Van

11. Common Reporting Problems • FTA requires the Operating Expenses figure and Operating Revenues Expended figures to match. • If you show an operating deficit, you should show how you covered that deficit – the funds used to cover that deficit should appear on the survey • If you show an operating surplus, and the surplus funds are set aside to use in future years, you should remove the amount of the surplus in your survey. The reason is that the survey should only show monies expended during the actual fiscal year

12. Common Reporting Problems • Performance data (Annual Vehicle Revenue Miles, and Revenue Hours, Passenger Trip counts) must be split by mode of transportation. • These figures MUST be tracked. FTA will require you to report these figures each year through the NTD

13. Common Reporting Problems • Safety data (Incidents, Injuries, and Fatalities) – incidents should only be reported when they result in an injury, a fatality, or property damage greater than $25,000

14. Publication • A publication is currently being developed that shows each rural agency’s reporting data for the past fiscal year (July 1, 2010 – June 30, 2011). The data was acquired through the figures reported in the National Transit Database.

15. Online Reporting Tool • We are currently developing an online reporting tool that will assist with the reporting process • The online reporting tool will give agencies access to prior year data and will allow the agencies to make permanent notes regarding vehicle data (for example, vehicles that are modified and do not fit the range of reasonability provided by FTA)

16. Contact Information Julie Eck Marketing Institute Florida State University College of Business jeck@cob.fsu.edu (850) 644-2509 Mike Wright Florida Department of Transportation Michael.wright1@dot.state.fl.us (850) 414-4529