What is the National Transit Database?

This section provides the legislative basis for the NTD reporting system.

Changes in 2006 Reporting

This section summarizes the changes in reporting requirements implemented in FY 2006.

Who Reports, What to Report, How to Report, When to Report, and Where to Report

This section provides answers to basic reporting questions.

Reference Information

This section presents key definitions as well as reference resources and publications for further detail on issues related to reporting.

The National Transit Database (NTD) is the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA's) primary national database for statistics on the transit industry. Recipients of FTA’s Urbanized Area Formula Program (Section 5307) grants are required by statute to submit data to the NTD. Over 650 transit agencies and authorities file annual reports to FTA through the internet-based reporting system. Each year, NTD performance data are used to apportion over $4 billion of FTA funds to transit agencies in urbanized areas (UZAs). Annual NTD reports are submitted to Congress summarizing transit service and safety data.

The NTD is the system through which FTA collects uniform data needed by the Secretary of Transportation to administer department programs. The data consist of selected financial and operating data that describe public transportation characteristics. The legislative requirement for the NTD is found in Title 49 U.S.C. 5335(a):

Section 5335(a) National Transit Database (1) To help meet the needs of individual public transportation systems, the United States Government, state and local governments, and the public for information on which to base public transportation service planning, the Secretary of Transportation shall maintain a reporting system, using uniform categories, to accumulate public transportation financial and operating information and using a uniform system of accounts. The reporting and uniform systems shall contain appropriate information to help any level of government make a public sector investment decision. The Secretary may request and receive appropriate information from any source.

(a)(2) The Secretary may make a grant under Section 5307 of this title only if the applicant and any person that will receive benefits directly from the grant are subject to the reporting and uniform systems.

The NTD reporting system evolved from the transit industry initiated Project FARE (Uniform Financial Accounting and Reporting Elements). Both the private and public sectors have recognized the importance of timely and accurate data in assessing the continued progress of the nation's public transportation systems.

In its ongoing efforts to improve upon the NTD Internet reporting system and to be responsive to the needs of the transit agencies reporting to NTD and the transit community, FTA continues to refine and clarify reporting requirements and Internet reporting.

Reporting changes for the 2006 Monthly Ridership Module are highlighted below. Specific changes are discussed in detail in the applicable sections of this manual.

Reporting Form Changes

The following describes changes by reporting form.

Transit agencies that receive or benefit from Urbanized Area Formula Program (UAF) funds must submit or coordinate the submittal of the Monthly Ridership report. These transit agencies or organizations are generally referred to as recipients or beneficiaries.

Recipients and Beneficiaries of Urbanized Area Formula Program Grants

Transit agencies that are recipients or beneficiaries of FTA Urbanized Area Formula Program (UAF) funds and that manage transit activities are responsible for submitting or coordinating NTD reports, regardless of whether they directly operate (DO) or purchase (PT) their transit services. These recipients or beneficiaries can be public entities directly operating services or contracting for all or part of the total transit service provided. The transit agency must report all of the service they provide or purchase, excluding services provided under demonstration grants or test projects funded through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program or other funds transferred into the Urbanized Area Formula Program (UAF). The following are typical NTD reporters and requirements for recipients and beneficiaries of Urbanized Area Formula Program (UAF) funds.

Public Transit Agencies

Public transit agencies must submit a NTD report through the life of the grant and / or the life of the capital equipment obtained through the grant (continuing requirements). If a transit agency does not spend funds from the grant for either capital expenses or operating assistance for the year, the transit agency must still file a NTD report if the grant is still active or capital equipment still has remaining useful life.

Operators of Purchased Transportation Services

Operators of purchased transportation (PT) services (public transit agencies or private carriers) that provide public transportation services under contract to recipients or beneficiaries of Urbanized Area Formula Program (UAF) funds must report data to the public transit agency for inclusion in the public transit agency's NTD report. The data pertain only to the services under contract.

This applies to almost all private providers. However, FTA is encouraging large sellers of purchased transportation (PT) which have historically submitted separate, complete NTD reports to FTA to continue to do so.

Consolidated NTD Reporters

Consolidated NTD reporters are a collection of transit agencies filing one report. One reporter may file a consolidated report on behalf of other reporters if it is easier to collect and control the quality of the data. This often occurs when one transit agency coordinates the development and funding of public transportation services in an area. Transit agencies filing a consolidated report must operate within the same urbanized area (UZA).

Transit agencies that wish to file a consolidated report must submit a request to FTA in writing. Such requests for consolidations are subject to FTA approval and must include the following:

• Name of the transit agencies to be included
• Fiscal year end dates for each transit agency
• Previous NTD identification numbers (NTD ID) of the transit agencies
• Date for the first consolidated report.

Nine or Fewer Vehicles Waiver

Transit agencies with nine or fewer vehicles in annual maximum service (VOMS) that operate only non-fixed guideway (NFG) systems are not required to file a Monthly Ridership report. See the Waivers discussion below for more information regarding waivers that may impact monthly ridership reporting.

Voluntary Reporters

Voluntary NTD reporters are those transit agencies, public or private, which are not recipients or beneficiaries of Urbanized Area Formula Program (UAF) grants.

Public Carriers

Public carriers that do not use or do not have continuing requirements of Urbanized Area Formula Program (UAF) funds may voluntarily submit a complete NTD report.

Private Carriers

Private carriers that are not under contract to an Urbanized Area Formula Program (UAF) funds recipient or beneficiary may voluntarily submit a complete NTD report.

FTA encourages all voluntary public and private providers of public transportation services to report their services to the NTD program. Through the submission of complete and accurate reports, the NTD will be more reflective of the entire transit industry.

The NTD report consists of a series of forms that collect monthly ridership data providing FTA with monthly trends in ridership throughout the year. It must contain all the public transportation service, including complementary paratransit services required by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), which the transit agency provides or purchases.

For purchased transportation (PT) service, the report must contain data only for those services under contract.

Reporting Modules and Forms

Not all forms are required from all transit agencies. The size of the urbanized area (UZA), the number of vehicles operated and type of service (TOS) operated (directly operated (DO) or purchased (PT)) are factors that determine which forms are required. The following exhibit presents a summary of NTD reporting requirements.

Calendar Year Data

Unlike the NTD Annual Report, which covers the 12-month fiscal year period, the data in the NTD Monthly Ridership report covers a 12-month period corresponding to the calendar year.

This section describes the following:

• NTD identification number (NTD ID)
• Internet Reporting
• Reporting format
• Purchased transportation (PT).

The NTD Identification Number

Each transit agency is assigned a unique FTA NTD identification number (NTD ID) to be used in the NTD report and all correspondence. Each transit agency must have a NTD identification number before filing a report. If you are a new reporter and do not have a NTD identification number, please refer to the New Reporters discussion in the Annual Reporting Manual.

Internet Reporting

All required forms, waivers, and declarations are completed using Internet Reporting which are accessible from the NTD website at www.ntdprogram.com. Completing the Mode Service Operated form (MR-10) within the annual report automatically generates the required Ridership Activity forms (MR-20 for the transit agency.

This manual contains all information necessary to complete the Monthly Ridership report using Internet Reporting. See the Internet Reporting section of this manual. FTA provides Internet Reporting user names and passwords to transit agencies.

Reporting Format

Transit agencies must submit their reports via the Internet Reporting system. A transit agency must file a complete report by the report due date. See the When to Report section below to determine your due date.

General Formatting Rules

Data reported must adhere to the following rules:

• Follow rounding directions for each form
• Unless otherwise indicated, report data as whole numbers
• Use four digits for year entries.

Internet Reporting incorporates these rules, formatting data automatically when you complete a cell entry.

Reporting Purchased Transportation

Purchased transportation (PT) service is service provided to a public transit agency or governmental unit from a public or private transportation provider based on a written contract. A contractual relationship exists only if all the following criteria are met:

• The seller is obligated in advance of the time the service is furnished to provide the operations for which the operating statistics are being reported for a specific monetary consideration.
• A written agreement exists that specifies the contractual relationship for the time period and the specific service generating the operating statistics included in the NTD report.
• The written agreement is signed by authorized representatives of both the buyer and the seller, and should detail the services to be provided, and the nature and amount of the monetary consideration.

Granting a transportation provider permission to operate certain services through a franchise or license does not, in itself, constitute purchased transportation (PT). Also, management services contracts, in which all or some personnel or services are provided to manage or operate the transit agency, are not purchased transportation (PT).

Cooperative agreements between public transit agencies or governmental units should not be reported as purchased transportation (PT) services.

Failure to Report, Late Reports or Incomplete Letters

NTD requires transit agencies to submit complete reports according to the due date schedule. Failure to report results from not submitting a report, submitting a late report or submitting an incomplete report. As a result, your transit agency's data may not be included in the NTD. Furthermore, FTA may declare your transit agency ineligible to receive any Urbanized Area Formula Program (UAF) grants during an entire Federal fiscal year. This ineligibility applies to all transit agencies, regardless of the size of the urbanized area (UZA) served.

A report is considered late if it is not submitted by the due date. Refer to the exhibit NTD Annual Reporting Timelines for due dates.

A report is incomplete if it does not contain all the required reporting forms and data, is not in conformance with the NTD requirements, or does not contain the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Certification and Independent Auditor Statements (IAS), as applicable. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Certification and Independent Auditor Statements (IAS) are to be submitted with the NTD report. If there are data revisions to financial forms during validation, the chief executive officer (CEO) must concur with the revisions. If there are revisions to the Federal Funding Allocation Statistics form (FFA-10), both the chief executive officer (CEO) and the independent auditor, as applicable must concur with the changes. The certification and statements do not have to be revised. Always retain copies of all submitted NTD forms, revisions and declarations for your records.

Transit agencies are required to respond to validation inquiries. Transit agencies receiving two Failure to Report letters or two Failure to Respond letters will be closed out immediately if their annual report is not submitted within the time indicated within the letter. This may affect your Urbanized Area Formula Program (UAF) funding eligibility and the amount of funding the UZA receives. If your transit agency serves a UZA with a population of 200,000 or more, data will not be entered into the formula for selected formula statistics.

Transit agencies submit all NTD reports via Internet Reporting at the project's website, www.ntdprogram.com.

FTA assigns an NTD analyst to each reporting transit agency to assist reporters throughout the year. At the beginning of the reporting cycle, your NTD analyst will call you to introduce her / himself. Please feel free to contact your NTD analyst if there are any questions, or if FTA can do anything to assist you in reporting.

This section contains two items necessary to understanding NTD reporting:

1. Transit terminology and parameters
2. Reference documents.

Transit Terminology and Parameters

Reporting data for the NTD requires an understanding of the following transit concepts and terms:

• Public transportation
• Mode
• Type of service (TOS)
• Maximum service vehicles.

Each of these terms is described in further detail in the sections that follow.

Public Transportation

The definition of public transportation is important because the purpose of the NTD is to collect information on public transportation. As defined in the Federal Transit Act, public transportation means transportation by bus (MB) or rail, or other conveyance, either publicly or privately owned, providing to the public general or special service (but not including school buses or charter or sightseeing service) on a regular and continuing basis. Public transportation is also synonymous with the terms mass transportation and transit.

Public availability is a key part of the definition. Services defined as public transportation are available to any person who pays a prescribed fare and meets other availability requirements, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Charter and school bus services are not considered public transportation because they serve specific groups of people and cannot be used by people not belonging to these groups. Service must be open to the general public, not only to specific categorical groups, such as school children.

NTD reporting is a requirement for recipients and beneficiaries of Section 5307 Urbanized Area Formula Program (UAF) of the Federal Transit Act. Under the Urbanized Area Formula Program (UAF), the term public transportation usually applies to area-wide services primarily within an urbanized area (UZA). Since Congress uses NTD performance data in statutory formulae to apportion FTA funding to UZAs, the NTD can only contain public transportation or transit data. Transportation service that is not public transportation service should not be reported to the NTD. Public transportation is predominantly commuter service. For the purposes of the NTD, a commuter is a transit rider that travels back and forth during the same day primarily within a UZA. It is implicit in the Federal Transit Act and is the congressional intent that intercity bus services are excluded under the Urbanized Area Formula Program (UAF). Intercity services are permitted for some commuter rail (CR) and ferryboat (FB) services and such that a person travels and returns on the same day. (Refer to the Basic Information module, Identification form (B-10) for NTD modal definitions and requirements).

For NTD reporting, FTA reserves the right to evaluate transit services as public transportation by requiring a written description of the transit services including availability and public notification of the availability of service, compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) requirements, service area maps, schedules and public timetables, and other materials as necessary. In the case of new modes or significant expansion of transit services, FTA reserves the right to request passenger surveys.

Mode

A variety of transit modes are operated in the United States. The NTD reporting system groups transit modes into two broad categories — rail modes and non-rail modes — as follows:

Modal definitions are used in the NTD reporting system in different ways. Transit agencies are required to report data according to the detailed modal definitions on most reporting forms (e.g., bus (MB), demand response (DR), vanpool (VP) and light rail (LR)). On selected forms (e.g., Transit Way Mileage form (A-20), Service form (S-10), Energy Consumption form (R-30), Federal Funding Allocation Statistics form (FFA-10)), different data items are required for rail and non-rail modes.

Type of Service

Public transportation can be provided in two ways:

1. Directly operated (DO) service, in which the NTD reporting agency, usually the public transit agency, uses its own employees to operate the transit vehicles and provide the transit service.
2. Purchased transportation (PT) in which the NTD reporting agency, usually the public transit agency, contracts with a public or private provider to operate the transit vehicles, employs the operators, and provide the transit service.

Type of service (TOS) is an important element of NTD reporting. On most reporting forms, transit agencies are required to report data by type of service (TOS).

Maximum Service Vehicles

The maximum service operated during the year is an important determinant of a transit system's size and resulting performance. Transit agencies are required to report data on two measures of maximum service:

1. Vehicles operated in annual maximum service (VOMS)
2. Vehicles available for annual maximum service.

Vehicles operated in annual maximum service (VOMS) is a count of the revenue vehicles scheduled for the peak day and operating period of the peak service season or schedule of the year. The revenue count is the typical number of vehicles operated and does not consider the number of vehicles operated on atypical days such as holiday celebrations (e.g., Fourth of July), or one-time special events (e.g., World Series celebrations, political conventions).

Vehicles available in annual maximum service is a count of the revenue vehicles available to meet the maximum service requirement (revenue vehicles necessary to meet peak demand) for the fiscal year. This count of revenue vehicles includes:

• Vehicles operated in maximum service (VOMS)
• Spare vehicles.

The count of vehicles does not include:

• Vehicles out for extended major repair or rehabilitation
• Emergency contingency vehicles.

Spare vehicles are revenue vehicles used to accommodate routine maintenance and repair operations, and to replace vehicles in scheduled service that breakdown or are involved in accidents.

Emergency contingency vehicles are inactive revenue vehicles that normally would have been disposed of at the end of their useful life. FTA allows transit agencies to retain these vehicles if they are stored and maintained, and part of an approved FTA Emergency Contingency Plan.

Reference Documents

The FTA Uniform System of Accounts (USOA) and Uniform System of Accounts and Records and Reporting System; Final Rule (CFR Part 630) is essential to understanding the forms and instructions presented in this manual. You can obtain these documents, as well as the other reference documents listed in the exhibit below, by visiting the NTD Project website at www.ntdprogram.com or calling the NTD Project Office at (703) 205-2475.   

The following exhibit provides a list of other documents necessary for NTD reporting.

Transit agencies must use the National Transit Database (NTD) Internet Reporting system to provide their data via reports to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). NTD Internet Reporting is the online means for transit agencies to enter, save, review and revise data, and submit reports. It provides for timely and accurate reporting as all tasks and requirements for the NTD can be fulfilled via this system.

This section provides Internet Reporting information for the Monthly Ridership NTD report. Separate instructions for annual and safety and security Internet Reporting are included in the Annual Reporting Manual and the Safety and Security Reporting Manual.

What Has Changed from Prior Year

There are no changes for the 2006 report year.

Internet Reporting System Security

Numerous measures have been taken to ensure that all data entered into the Internet Reporting system are safe and available only to those with proper access. The NTD servers and network are secured behind a firewall. The website operates the secured web protocol, https, and the entire site is password protected. Additionally, multiple server and database protection layers protect the database files.

Accessing Internet Reporting

Internet Reporting is accessed from the NTD Home page.

To access Internet Reporting:

• Connect to the Interent via your Internet service provider (ISP)
• Verify your Internet browser settings
• Access the Internet Reporting website at www.ntdprogram.com
• Access your transit agency’s NTD report via the Annual Report Home link.

Connecting to the Internet

Use your Internet service provider (ISP) to connect to the Internet. Internet Reporting requires a web browser that is at least a 6.x version (Internet Explorer 6.0).

If you don’t have the latest version of the browser, go to Microsoft.com to download the latest version free of charge.

Verifying Your Internet Browser Settings

Verify that your browser is set to check for newer versions of stored pages with each visit to the page.

In Internet Explorer, this is done by accessing Tools / Internet Options / General / Temporary Internet Files Settings / Every Visit to Page.

The National Transit Database Website

The NTD Home Page offers the following information and data for reporters and others interested in the NTD:

• Publications: Downloadable publications, including the NTD Reporting Manual, Data Tables, Profiles, National Transit Summaries and Trends and other related NTD reference materials.
• NTD Data: View, print or download historical NTD data.
• Seminars: NTD Reporting Seminars are posted as they are scheduled for the year. You can also register for the seminars, check your registration status and find all information regarding NTD seminars from this link.
• Contact NTD / Feedback: The mailing address, telephone number and fax number for the NTD Program as well as an opportunity to provide comments or suggestions regarding the NTD Program.
• Public Discussion: A public forum for discussions regarding the NTD. Suggestions are encouraged. Unlike the NTD Reporter Discussion area, this area is open to the general public. Posting any proprietary or sensitive information is not recommended.
• Current Reporting Manual: The Reporting Manual for the current report year in both PDF and HTML formats for easy reference.
• NTD Agency Information: Contact information for transit agencies in the National Transit Database (NTD). A link to each transit agency’s homepage is also provided if available.
• Annual Report Home: Access to the NTD Annual and Monthly Ridership Report login for the current report year.
• Safety and Security Home: Access to the NTD Safety and Security Reporting Manual, Glossary, Newsletters and the Safety and Security login for the current report year.
• NTD Rural Report Home: Access to the NTD Rural Reporting Manual, Glossary and the Rural login for the current report year.

Also available via links on the NTD Home Page:

• US Department of Transportation (DOT) Home Page
• Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Home Page
• National Transit Library
• Accessibility
• NTD privacy notice.

Accessing the Monthly Ridership Report

Clicking the Annual Report Home link will open the Internet Reporting Logon page. Enter your User Name and Password to gain access to Annual Report Home.

Levels of Access

Internet Reporting provides four levels of access to the Annual Report: 

1. CEO access: Edit forms (data entry), approve Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Certification and submit report
2. Contact Person access: Edit forms (data entry) and submit report (administrator)
3. Editor access: Edit forms (data entry), cannot submit report
4. Viewer access: View only including forms, issues, notes and correspondence.

User Names and Password

The system access level is determined by the user name. The first three characters of the user name define the access level and the last four digits represent the transit agency’s NTD ID. There are four types of user names corresponding to the four access levels available within the Annual Report:

1. CEO — CEOxxxx
2. Contact person — NTDxxxx
3. Editor — EDTxxxx
4. Viewer — VWRxxxx.

Each transit agency is e-mailed this set of user names with a password for each. Transit agencies determine access within their organizations and distribute user names and passwords accordingly.

A user can change his / her password at any time. Refer to Sys Admin: Changing Your Password for additional information on this topic. Users should be aware that passwords expire every ninety days.

The CEO and Contact Person (if the Annual Report Contact Person is the same individual that is responsible for the Safety and Security report), if they wish, may use the same password for both the Annual Report and the Safety and Security Report.

NTD Report Structure

Annual Report includes the following tabs:

• Home: The starting point when entering the NTD report. It displays the transit agency’s NTD analyst information and any project related announcements.
• e-File: A listing of all declarations, waivers, other general correspondence and current year report submission stages. This screen provides a means for a transit agency to view the text of existing declarations, waivers, fixed guideway requests and general correspondence, and to add such documents via a file attachment or by modification of a pre-existing template. These can be submitted to NTD from this screen.
• Forms: A listing of the reporting modules and forms and provides access to the specific forms necessary to complete the NTD report. It is from this screen that the transit agency submits the NTD report. The Submit button appears at the bottom of the Forms Summary screen after the CEO approves the CEO Certification on the e-File screen.
• Monthly Ridership: The NTD contact person is responsible for completing and submitting these two forms. The information is used by the NTD to collect monthly information regarding transit service provided by the transit agency.
• Safety and Security: Access to Safety and Security forms.
• Notes: Internet Reporting allows the transit agency to create Form Notes to provide additional information applicable to the overall form. Displays all the Form Notes added to the transit agency's report.
• Issues: Currently displays only those Issues generated for the transit agency's NTD Annual report.
• Reports: Print and export reports. All reports have been developed to allow the transit agency to print each form or report without altering print settings to fit a form on the page. The reports listed will vary depending on access level.
• Communications: The Communications screen lists a record of the report submissions the agency has made to NTD, including any comments from the agency and the review status of the report.
• Sys Admin: Change NTD passwords—CEO, NTD Contact Person, Editor and Viewer. You may only change your password. Should you need assistance, contact your NTD analyst.
• Help: Online version of the Reporting Manual.

Home: The Annual Report Home Page

After completing the logon process you will be taken to the Annual Report Home page. Click the Home tab near the top of any screen to return to the Home tab from another area.

Monthly Ridership: Providing Ridership Data to NTD

Click on the Monthly Ridership tab to open the Monthly Ridership screen. This screen provides links to the Monthly Ridership forms that your agency is required to complete.

Initially, the Monthly Ridership screen only provides access to one form:

1.   Mode Service Operated form (MR-10)

After the transit agency reviews, completes and saves the Mode Service Operated form (MR-10), Internet Reporting automatically generates Ridership Activity form(s) (MR-20) for each mode / type of service operated by the agency.

Notes: Providing Additional Information

Click on the Notes tab to open the Notes Summary screen. Internet Reporting allows the transit agency to create a Form Note to explain unusual circumstances or data discrepancies that impact the data being submitted to the NTD.

Creating a Form Note

To create a Form Note click on the Add Form Note link at the top right of the form you are editing or viewing. Internet Reporting will take you to the Form Notes screen for the specific form. Internet Reporting will pre-fill the mode and type of service (if applicable) for which the note is created. The transit agency completes the note comment.

To save a Form Note, click on the Save button at the bottom of the screen. To return to the form being edited without saving the note, click on the Cancel button.

Reviewing Form Notes

Click on the Notes tab to view theNotes Summary screen. You can review the Form Notes associated with a specific form or all Form Notes for the report. While working in a form click on the Notes tab to display the Form Notes screen for the form. The form name and mode / type of service will be displayed just beneath the tabs.

Editing Notes

While you are in Working Data you can edit a note after it has been created. Click on the Edit Note link in the far right column on the Notes screen. Once the NTD report is submitted the notes are frozen and cannot be edited. Notes can only be edited while in the Working Data report data set.

Notes are frozen with each submission. If the report is sent back to the transit agency and notes are reviewed or added, the previously submitted notes will not be affected.

Printing Form Notes

Form Notes are printed as part of each form’s report that is generated using the Print button at the bottom of each form. All Form Notes can be printed from the Reports tab by clicking the All Form Notes link. (Form Notes are not included in the All Portrait and All Landscape Forms reports listed on the Reports tab.)

Reports: Viewing, Printing, and Exporting Reports to Assist in Preparing the NTD Report

Click on the Reports tab to display the Reports screen. This screen provides access to several reports available to assist you in preparing your NTD report.

Before a report can be successfully opened the Crystal Reports Viewer must be downloaded to your personal computer (PC). Please refer to the section on Printing for instructions on downloading this viewer and also for viewing, printing and exporting a report.

To open a report click the corresponding link on the Reports screen.

All Portrait Form Reports

Click on the All Portrait Forms and All Landscape Forms links to open all of the NTD report forms. You will not need to alter your printer orientation settings, as these will be set automatically.

The individual form reports included in the All Portrait Form reports include:

• Mode Service Operated form (MR-10).

All Landscape Form Reports

The individual form reports included in the All Landscape Form reports are:

• Ridership Activity form (MR-20)

The Form Notes associated with each form are not included in these reports. (They are, however, included on the individual form reports generated as a result of clicking the Print button on each form screen.)

All Form Notes Report

Click on the All Form Notes Report link to print all of the Form Notes associated with the NTD Monthly Ridership report viewed on the Form Notes screen.

Communications Summary: Viewing a History of Correspondence with NTD

The Communications tab gives transit agencies a centralized area in which to view past correspondence with the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) National Transit Database (NTD) program. In addition, the correspondence view can be filtered to show only certain processes or communication types.

Sys Admin: Changing Your Password

The Sys Admin screen provides the ability to change your NTD password.

All passwords expire every ninety days. You can change your password at anytime on the Sys Admin screen by specifying your current and new password. To be valid, a password must be at least eight characters long and contain at least one letter and one number. It cannot contain spaces. Passwords are case-sensitive. If you do not update your password within the ninety-day term, you will be forced to update your password when you first access the system once the ninety-day period has expired. The screen is similar to the one available on the Sys Admin screen and the same password rules apply.

Help: Obtaining More Information

Click on the Help tab to display the Help screen. The Help screen provides access to the 2006 NTD Reporting Manual for additional help in completing the NTD report forms. The Help screen displays the table of contents for the Reporting Manual with links to each section of the manual.

Navigating Between Screens

Do not use the browser Back and Forward buttons to navigate between screens. Instead, use the Internet Reporting system buttons, tabs and links.

Saving a Form

A Save button is provided at the bottom of each Internet Reporting form. When entering information into a form it is strongly recommended that you save the form frequently. This will prevent the loss of data if your Internet connection is unexpectedly lost. Also, Internet Reporting has an automatic time-out feature which will log you off of the system after a period of inactivity. It is strongly recommended that you save your work every 15 minutes. Otherwise, there is a risk that the next action you take on the system will result in the closure of the screen displayed in your browser and the loss of any data that you had not saved.

Viewing, Printing and Exporting Reports

Reports can be generated within the Internet Reporting system from either the Reports tab or from the individual form screens.

For trouble-shooting information refer to the Announcement section of the Annual Report Home page.

Downloading the Crystal Reports Viewer

In order to facilitate viewing, printing and exporting of reports Internet Reporting utilizes the Crystal Reports downloadable viewer and writer. You will be prompted to download the Crystal Smart Viewer for Active X free of charge the first time the print functionality is accessed, (a report link is clicked on the Reports tab or the Print button is clicked on a form page.). This download occurs only once and is absolutely necessary to view or print a report.

Viewing a Report Online

Click on the Report link on the Reports tab to display the report within the Crystal Reports Viewer. Use the scroll bar or the following navigation buttons to scroll through the report:

• To go to the next page, use the right arrow
• To go to the previous page use, the left arrow
• To go to the last page, use the right arrow with a line to the right
• To go back to the first page, use the left arrow with a line to the left .

You can also search for text within a report by clicking on the binoculars icon  to display the Search dialogue box and then entering the text or key word you wish to find in the Find What field. If the text you entered is found within the report, it will be outlined in red.

To Print a Report from the Report Tab

Click on the Report link to display the report within the Crystal Reports Viewer. Click the Print Report button  (printer icon) in the upper left corner of the viewer. Then click the Print button on the resulting Print screen.

To Print a Form Report from a Form Screen

Click on the Print button supplied at the bottom of the form screen to display the report in the Crystal Reports Viewer. Click the Print Report button  (printer icon) in the upper left corner of the viewer. Then click the Print button on the resulting Print screen.

Exporting Reports

From the Reports screen, click on the link for the report you wish to export. The report will display in the Crystal Reports Viewer. Select Export Report  (envelope icon) in the left corner of the viewer.  The Report Export Viewer window will be displayed.

In the Save In field, select the local or network drive where you would like your export file to be saved.  From the Save As Type Drop-Down list field, select from one of the following export file formats:

• Microsoft Word (*.doc)
• Microsoft Excel (*.xls)
• Acrobat (*.pdf)
• Rich Text (*.rtf).

Enter the name of the export file in the File Name field and click the Save button.

This module contains two forms:

1. Mode Service Operated form (MR-10)
2. Ridership Activity form (MR-20).

Transit agencies with a Nine or Fewer Vehicles Waiver are not required to complete a Monthly Ridership report.

The Mode Service Operated form (MR-10) is completed once at the beginning of the calendar year and revised only if there is a new mode and type of service (TOS) added to the system during the reporting period. This form collects the number of vehicles operated in maximum service (VOMS) by mode and type of service (TOS) by the agency at the beginning of the calendar year. Internet Reporting uses this information to generate the appropriate ridership activity forms for the transit agency.

The Ridership Activity form (MR-20) collects monthly information regarding transit service provided by the agency. These data provide FTA with monthly trends in passenger usage and service levels.

This form is required for all transit agencies, except those agencies with a Nine or Fewer Vehicles Waiver.

Mode Service Operated form (MR-10)

This form collects the number of vehicles operated in maximum service (VOMS) by the agency, and is completed once at the beginning of the calendar year, unless there is a service change during the year. Internet Reporting uses this information to generate the appropriate Ridership Activity forms (MR-20) for the reporting period.

Reporting Requirements and Thresholds

All agencies must complete the Mode Service Operated form (MR-10) annually. The exception is transit agencies with a Nine or Fewer Vehicles Waiver, who need not complete this form. Data for the 2006 reporting year must be submitted by February 28, 2007.

What Has Changed from Prior Year

A new screen has been incorporated to facilitate adding and deleting mode / type of service (TOS) data.

Form Notes can now be attached to the form to explain unusual circumstances or data discrepancies that impact the data being submitted to the NTD.

The Mode Service Operated form (MR-10) is used to identify the modes and types of service (TOS) operated by the transit agency. The data reported on this form is used by Internet Reporting to generate the appropriate Ridership Activity forms (MR-20) for the transit agency for the calendar year.

Internet Reporting prepares one set of monthly forms for each mode / type of service (TOS) operated by the transit agency.

When the Mode Service Operated form (MR-10) is accessed, it will be pre-populated with data from the previous report year. This information has been transferred from the last Monthly Ridership report submitted by the transit agency. Please review this information for accuracy; the data most likely will have changed since your transit agency last submitted a Monthly Ridership report.

If you need to add or delete a mode or type of service (TOS), please contact your validation analyst. Common reasons for a mode / type of service being added or deleted:

• A mode / type of service (TOS) was discontinued,
• A mode / type of service (TOS) was inadvertently reported / omitted on the Mode Service Operated form (MR-10), or
• A new mode / type of service (TOS) began operation during the year.

Mode

Transit agencies operate one or more modes of transit service. A mode is a system for carrying transit passengers described by specific right-of-way (ROW), technology and operational features.

The Glossary at the end of this manual contains the detailed NTD modal definitions.

The NTD recognizes the following modes of public transit service:

Multi-Modal Vehicles

If a vehicle is used for more than one mode, report it under each mode for which it is used and describe the use of the vehicle using the Add Form Notes link.

For example, the transit agency may use five of its vehicles in bus (MB) mode during peak hours and, during non-peak hours, may use the five vehicles in demand response (DR) service. The vehicle would be reported as bus (MB) and demand response (DR) on the Mode Service Operated form (MR-10) and supports another mode should be indicated on the Revenue Vehicle Inventory form (A-30).

When all data have been entered into the form and verified for accuracy, click on the Submit Report button to generate the required forms.

Vehicles Operated In Maximum Service

For each mode provided by the transit agency, enter the number of vehicles operated in maximum service (VOMS) for January. In column a, enter the number of vehicles operated in maximum service (VOMS) for each directly operated (DO) mode by the agency. In column b, enter the number of vehicles operated in maximum service (VOMS) for each purchased transportation (PT) service mode.

Only report the purchased transportation (PT) modes that are included in the agency’s annual NTD report. Do not report vehicles operated in maximum service (VOMS) for purchased transportation (PT) service when another NTD agency will file the ridership reports.

If the agency operates a mode that is not listed on the form, select the category: Other and enter the number of vehicles operated in maximum service. Internet Reporting will also display a Describe Other box, so a description of the mode operated can be entered.

Form Notes

A Form Note can be attached to any form to explain unusual circumstances or data discrepancies thatimpact the data being submitted to NTD. Use the Add Form Note link for relevant information to a specific field, to the entire form or to multiple forms. Click on the Add Form Note link at the top of the screen and enter your note on the Notes screen. You can review and / or edit a Form Note from the Notes tab.

Add / Delete Mode / Type of Service

If the agency adds or discontinues a new mode / type of service (TOS) (directly operated (DO) or purchased transportation (PT)), click on the Add / Delete Mode / Type of Service button at the bottom of the form. A new screen will appear. Click on either the Add or Delete Mode / Type of Service button depending on whether a mode / type of service (TOS) is being added or discontinued. Select the mode and type of service from the Drop-Down boxes for the correct line and enter either the new service start date or the out of service date. Save the form and click on the Submit Report button.

Ridership Activity form (MR-20)

Reporting Requirements and Thresholds

Monthly ridership activity information is collected by mode and type of service (TOS). These data provide FTA with monthly trends in passenger usage and service levels.

Reporters must enter their data by the end of the month following the month for which data is being reported, i.e., January data is submitted by the last day of February.

What Has Changed from Prior Year

The number of regular service days each month data are now being collected.

Form Notes can now be attached to the form to explain unusual circumstances or data discrepancies that impact the data being submitted to the NTD.

There are two Ridership Activity forms (MR-20) tailored for:

1. Rail
2. Non-rail.

The Ridership Activity form (MR-20) is used to report monthly data by mode and type of service (TOS) for the revenue vehicles used to provide transit service. The data include:

• Service consumed (unlinked passenger trips (UPT)
• Service supplied (actual vehicle (passenger car) revenue miles (VRM) and hours (VRH)
• Passenger cars in operation / vehicles operated in maximum service (VOMS)
• Number of regular service days operated.

The data items in this form are similar to the annual data reported on the Service form (S-10). The expectation is that the data reported on the Ridership Activity form (MR-20) will be consistent with the annual data reported in the Service form (S-10).

As the form is being completed, changes should be saved by clicking the Save button frequently. When all data have been entered for a particular month and the data have been verified for accuracy, the month’s data can be submitted to FTA by clicking the Submit button for that row. Click on the Close button at the bottom of the form to close the form.

Ridership data can be updated and submitted until the end of February of each year, after this time revisions must be done through your validation analyst.

Unlinked Passenger Trips

Unlinked passenger trips (UPT) 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.

Since it can be very difficult and costly to count each passenger (100 percent count), many transit agencies estimate annual unlinked passenger trips (UPT) based on a sampling procedure. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requirements are:

• Minimum confidence of 95 percent, and
•        Minimum precision level of ±10 percent.

Transit agencies are not required to use a sampling procedure to estimate and report annual unlinked passenger trips (UPT). Actual counts (100 percent sample) are acceptable and meet FTA requirements. More detailed information about FTA’s sampling requirements is presented in the Service Module section of the reporting manual.

Actual counts (100 percent sample) involve counting passengers each time they board a vehicle. This method is generally applicable to smaller systems, but its use is not precluded by a system’s size. If 100 percent counts are available, they are preferable to sampling and should be reported on the Ridership Activity form (MR-20).

If the transit agency uses a sampling method, the total unlinked passenger trips (UPT) for a specific month should be estimated using the sample data collected during the month and the same procedure that the transit agency uses to estimate annual unlinked passenger trips (UPT). This approach may not meet FTA’s confidence and precision levels for annual data, but does meet FTA’s requirements for a good faith effort for reporting monthly data on the Ridership Activity form (MR-20).

If the transit agency changes its sampling procedure, it should revise its reported unlinked passenger trips (UPT) for the current year and the prior year using the new methodology. The transit agency should contact their validation analyst for assistance in reporting the revised estimates for the prior year.

The transit agency reports 56,068 for total unlinked passenger trips (UPT) for the month.

Actual Vehicle (Passenger Car) Revenue Hours and Miles

Actual vehicle revenue hours (VRH) and miles (VRM) are incurred when non-rail service is available to the general public. These are the miles and hours traveled by vehicles in carrying passengers, plus layover/recovery time. It does not include the miles and hours for items such as deadhead, charter services, school bus service, operator training or maintenance testing. For rail service, the data are reported in terms of passenger car revenue hours and miles.

More detailed information about the collection of revenue hours (VRH) and miles (VRM) is presented in the Service Module section of this manual.

Vehicles Operated in Maximum Service

This is the number of revenue vehicles / passenger cars operated to meet the maximum service requirement during the month. In most instances, this is the number of scheduled vehicles/passenger cars since most transit agencies have sufficient vehicles/passenger cars to operate the scheduled service. Vehicles operated in maximum service (VOMS) / passenger cars in operation exclude atypical days or one-time special events.

This data item is different than the vehicles operated in annual maximum service (VOMS) that is reported on the Service form (S-10). The difference between the forms is the time period used in the definition— a month in the Ridership Activity form (MR-20) and a fiscal year in the Service form (S-10).

Number of Regular Service Days Each Month

Enter the number of days during the month that the agency operates normal weekday service. Saturday, Sunday (holiday), reduced or special event service should not be included.

Form Notes

A Form Note can be attached to any form to explain unusual circumstances or data discrepancies that impact the data being submitted to the NTD. Use the Add Form Note link for relevant information to a specific field, to the entire form or to multiple forms. Click on the Add Form Note link at the top of the screen and enter your note on the Notes screen. You can review and / or edit a Form Note from the Notes tab.