On August 4, 2023, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced the selection of the new team that will carry out its FTA Standards Development Program. The Team will be led by Brian Alberts, APTA’s Sr. Director of Safety and its lead for safety-related standards, and Lisa Staes, CUTR’s Associate Director and lead for FTA’s prior Transit Standards Program initiatives. The $3M award was granted to APTA, with CUTR serving as the co-awardee for the program. The objectives of this project are to support the FTA and its Standards Development Program (SDP) by undertaking the following tasks:
- Perform a broad assessment of industry needs, tapping in the extensive APTA committee structure and CUTR’s large network of universities and research center relationships.
- Identify and vet the needs for various standards based on stakeholder input received through the assessment, and the availability of existing standards within the U.S. public transportation industry, other industries, or those supporting public transportation or other industries within other countries.
- Analyze and help to prioritize those needs with recommendations for short-term and long-term solutions through development of new standards and guidance documents.
- Produce new or updated standards, recommended practices, of industry guidance that address FTA’s highest priority needs in support of the public transportation industry.
By building off existing approaches, models, and organizational structures, the APTA/CUTR team will facilitate a highly focused and expedited approach to assessing and prioritizing the needs of the industry. “This opportunity allows CUTR to continue the valuable work performed under the previous Standards Development Program. We are grateful for our APTA partnership and look forward to working with them and transit industry professionals who will inform and implement the standards process,” said Ms. Staes.
