What is the National Transit Database?

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

Changes in 2007 Reporting

This section summarizes the changes in reporting requirements implemented in FY 2007.

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) and Nonurbanized Area Formula Program (Section 5311) 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. NATIONAL TRANSIT DATABASE.

(a) NATIONAL TRANSIT DATABASE — 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.

(b) REPORTING AND UNIFORM SYSTEMS — The Secretary may award a grant under Section 5307 or 5311 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.

Funding for Agencies Serving Urbanized Areas under 200,000 Population

The NTD data are also used in the formula allocations of Federal transit funds. Prior to the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), only NTD data for urbanized areas with populations of 200,000 or more were used. With the passage of SAFETEA-LU, NTD data for urbanized areas with fewer than 200,000 population are also used in the allocation of Federal transit funding.

SAFETEA–LU directed that there be a one percent takedown from the funds made available under Section 5307. This takedown amount will be for apportionment under the new Small Transit Intensive Cities (STIC) formula. Under the formula for STIC, funds are apportioned to UZAs with a population less than 200,000 that meet or exceed the average level of service for all UZAs with populations between 200,000 and 1,000,000.

SAFETEA–LU also establishes new Growing States and High Density States formula factors (Section 5340) to distribute funds to the section 5307 and section 5311 programs. One-half of the funds are made available under the Growing States factors and are apportioned by a formula based on State population forecasts for 15 years beyond the most recent Census. Amounts apportioned for each State are then distributed between UZAs and nonurbanzied areas based on the ratio of urbanized / nonurbanzied population within each State. The High Density States factors distribute the other half of the funds to States with population densities in excess of 370 persons per square mile. These funds are apportioned only to UZAs within those States.

For more information on SAFETEA-LU, contact your regional administrator or go to www.fta.dot.gov.

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 2007 NTD 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 must submit the NTD report, 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

Private carriers operating purchased transportation (PT) services 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 Annual report. These private providers must supply the purchased transportation data to the buyer for inclusion in the buyer’s report and will no longer submit a separate NTD Annual report for that data. The data pertain only to the services under contract. This applies to almost all private providers.

Contractual agreements between public NTD reporting agencies for purchased transportation (PT) services can either be reported by the seller or buyer of service as directly operated (DO) service. Therefore, when a public agency is the buyer of service and is reporting purchased transportation (PT) service on behalf of the pubic agency which is selling service, the seller must supply the data to the buyer so that it is reported in the buyer’s report as directly operated (DO) service. Additionally, when the seller is reporting the service in their report, the purchased transportation (PT) services are reported as directly operated (DO) service.

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) or Nonurbanized Area Formula Program funds may voluntarily submit a complete NTD report.

Private Carriers

Private carriers that are not under contract to an Urbanized Area Formula Program (UAF) or Nonurbanized Area Formula Program 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. Voluntary reporters that chose to report a complete NTD report are required to complete Safety and Security (if applicable) and Monthly Ridership reports.

The Monthly Ridership 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.

FTA will not grant special consideration to agencies or make adjustments to the apportionment formula due to strikes, labor disputes or work stoppages.

Reporting Modules and Forms

All agencies are required to submit Ridership data on a monthly basis. 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 Urbanized Area Reporting Manual.

Internet Reporting

All required forms are completed using Internet Reporting which are accessible from the NTD website at www.ntdprogram.gov. Completing the Mode Service Operated form (MR-10) 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 for specifics. 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). Generally, the service is part of the public transit agency’s directly operated (DO) service.

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 Exhibit 3 — NTD Monthly Ridership Reporting Requirements and Timelines for due dates.

The system will auto-generate a series of three e-mails sent per reporting due date:

1. A reminder will be sent to the NTD Contact 10 days prior to the due date.
2. A second reminder will be sent to the NTD Contact and CEO one day following the due date if no report has been received.
3. A late notice will be sent to the NTD Contact and CEO three days after the due date if no report has been received .

Please do not respond to these e-mails. These notices are auto-generated by the system the morning it is sent out, and should be disregarded if you submitted your report within the last few hours.

Transit agencies are required to respond to validation inquiries. Failure to respond within the prescribed timeframe may result in Failure to Report status, which 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.gov.

FTA assigns an NTD analyst to each reporting transit agency to assist reporters throughout the year. 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) (see the NTD Urbanized Area Reporting Manual for Section 5307 requirements) and Section 5311 Nonurbanized Area Formula Program 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. Intercity bus services are excluded under the Urbanized Area Formula Program (UAF). However, some commuter rail and ferryboat intercity services are permitted, if 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.gov or calling the NTD Project Office at (703) 462-5220.   

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 NTD Monthly Ridership report. Separate instructions for Annual and Safety and Security Internet Reporting are included in the Urbanized Area Reporting Manual and the Safety and Security Reporting Manual.

What Has Changed from Prior Year

A checkmark is now required for each mode/type of service (TOS) operated by the agency. Vehicles operated in maximum service (VOMS) is no longer captured on the MR-10 form.

On the MR-20 form, the number of regular service days (column e) will only accept a value between 0 and 23.

All reporting fields are required and must have a value entered before each month’s data can be date stamped.

Monthly data fields and the Edit Date button are no longer available before the month actually occurs.

Column a is now labeled estimated unlinked passenger trips (EUPT).

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 Homepage.

To access Internet Reporting:

• Connect to the Internet via your Internet service provider (ISP)
• Verify your Internet browser settings
• Access the Internet Reporting website at www.ntdprogram.gov
• Access your transit agency’s NTD report via the Internet Reporting Login 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 Homepage offers the following information and data for reporters and others interested in the NTD:

• Internet Reporting Login link.
• What is the NTD?: An overview of the NTD program, milestones in transit history, how to obtain and NTD ID number and an overview of the NTD reporting forms.
• Urbanized Area (Annual) and Monthly Ridership Reporting Information: Access to .html and .pdf versions of the current Urbanized Area and Monthly Ridership Reporting Manuals, Glossary, an overview of reporting changes and highlights, reporting manual archives, etc.
• Safety and Security Reporting Information: Access to .html and .pdf versions of the current Safety and Security Reporting Manual, Glossary, Newsletters, an overview of reporting changes and highlights, reporting manual archives, etc.
• Nonurbanized Area (Rural) Information: Access to the Nonurbanized Area (Rural) Reporting Manual, Glossary, an overview of reporting changes and highlights, reporting manual archives, etc.
• Asset and Condition Reporting Information: Future link.
• NTD Publications and Reference Materials: HTML and downloadable .pdf publications, including the Data Tables, Profiles, National Transit Summaries and Trends and other related NTD reference materials.
• NTD Data and Analysis Tools: View, print or download NTD databases, historical data, special reports and future analysis tools.
• FTA / NTD Presentations, Announcements and Updates: FTA will be posting PowerPoint slides presented by FTA / NTD staff attending various meetings, new and useful information and interim updates to reporting requirements, etc.
• NTD Feedback and Photo Gallery: The mailing address, telephone number and fax number for the NTD Project site as well as an opportunity to provide comments or suggestions regarding the NTD Program. Also, NTD invites all reporting agencies to submit transit related photos via this link. Along with the photos, please provide the agency name and a brief description of the photo.
• Seminars and Training: NTD Reporting Seminars and In-house Training information and registration
• Transit Agency Information and Links: Contact information for transit agencies reporting to the National Transit Database (NTD). Links to:
  
  • Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
  • FTA Safety and Security Office
  • U. S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)
  • National Transit Library
  • American Public Transportation Association (APTA)
  • Bureau of Transportation Statistics
  • Accessibility.

Accessing the Monthly Ridership Report

Clicking the Internet Reporting Login link will open the Internet Reporting Login page. Enter your user name and password to gain access to Monthly Ridership Reporting.

Levels of Access

Internet Reporting provides four levels of access to the NTD 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 NTD 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 NTD 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 Urbanized Area Report and the Safety and Security Report.

NTD Report Structure

Monthly Ridership Reporting 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: Currently provides a listing of all declarations, waivers, other general correspondence and current year report submission stages associated with the Annual report.
• Annual: Access to the Annual reporting modules and forms.
• 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 Monthly Ridership Report Home Page

After completing the logon process you will be taken to the Monthly Ridership Report Homepage. 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)

Review, complete and save the Mode Service Operated form (MR-10) to automatically generate the 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 the Notes 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 entering and saving monthly ridership data for any given month, you can edit a note for that month after it has been created. Click on the Edit Note link in the far right column on the Notes screen. Once the monthly ridership data for any given month is date stamped, the notes are frozen and cannot be edited. However, if needed, additional form notes can be added.

Notes are frozen each time the Edit Date button is clicked. If the report is edited and redated, the previously submitted notes will not be affected.

Printing Form Notes

All form notes can be printed from the Reports tab by clicking the All Form Notes link.

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 2007 NTD Reporting Manual for additional help in completing the NTD report forms. The Help screen displays the table of contents for the Monthly Ridership 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.

Printing a Form from a Form Screen

Click on the Print button supplied at the bottom of the form screen to display the report in the Adobe Acrobat Viewer. Click the Print button  in the upper left corner of the viewer. Then click the Okay button on the resulting Print window.

Note: Only forms for 2006 or later will print using the Adobe Acrobat Viewer. Previous years’ forms will print using the Crystal Reports Viewer and function the same as forms printed from the Reports tab.

Printing a Form from the Reports Tab

Forms can be printed using the Crystal Reports Viewer. For troubleshooting information refer to the Announcement section of the Monthly Ridership Report Homepage.

Downloading the Crystal Reports Viewer

In order to facilitate printing of forms 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.

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 or discontinued during the reporting period. This form is used to identify the modes and types of service (TOS) operated by the transit agency. Internet Reporting uses this information to generate the appropriate ridership activity forms for the transit agency.

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

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)

The Mode Service Operated form (MR-10) is used to identify the modes and types of service (TOS) operated by the transit agency. Internet Reporting uses this information to generate the appropriate ridership activity forms for the transit agency. This form is completed once at the beginning of the calendar year and revised only if there is a mode added or discontinued during 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 2007 reporting year must be submitted by February 28, 2008.

What Has Changed from Prior Year

A checkmark is now required for each mode/type of service (TOS) operated by the agency. Vehicles operated in maximum service (VOMS) is no longer captured on the MR-10 form.

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, use the check-boxes to indicate which modes/types of service (TOS) are operated by your agency. Once the form has been saved and submitted, the check boxes are no longer active.

If you need to add or delete a mode or type of service (TOS) during the report year, use the Add / Delete Mode / Type of Service button at the bottom of the screen. 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 NTD Annual report, 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.

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 form. 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.

Completing the Mode Service Operated form (MR-10)

From the Monthly Ridership tab, click on the Mode Service Operated form (MR-10) link.

Form Level Help: Click on the Help tab at the top of the screen for form level help. A form note can be attached to any form. 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. Form notes can be edited or revised until the form is Saved after which new form notes can be added.

Saving or Closing the Form: Click on the Submit button to save and submit the form. Click on the Close button to close the form without saving.

Completing the Form

• Lines 1 - 17, column a: Directly Operated (DO) - Vehicles Operated in Maximum Service (VOMS): Select the Check-Box(es) to indicate which modes are directly operated by the transit system. Select Other if none of the above apply and describe the Other mode in the Describe Other field that appears on the form.
  
• Lines 1 - 17, column b: Purchased Transportation (PT) - Vehicles Operated in Maximum Service (VOMS): Select the Check-Box(es) to indicate which modes are directly operated by the transit system. Select Other if none of the above apply and describe the Other mode in the Describe Other field that appears on the form.
  

Adding a Mode / Type of Service

• From the Monthly Ridership tab, click on the Mode Service Operated form (MR-10) link.
  
• Click on the Add / Delete Mode / Type of Service button to enter new service.
• In the new window, click on the Add Mode / Type of Service button.
• Column a: Mode Drop-Down menu. Select the mode that your agency has begun operating from the Drop-Down menu.
  
• Column b: Type of Service Drop-Down menu. Select the type of service (TOS) that your agency has begun operating from the Drop-Down menu.
  
• Column c: New Service Start Date. Enter the date that the new mode / type of service (TOS) began operating.
  

Deleting a Mode / Type of Service

• From the Monthly Ridership tab, click on the Mode Service Operated form (MR-10) link.
  
• Click on the Add / Delete Mode / Type of Service button to delete an existing service.
• In the new window, click on the Delete Mode / Type of Service button.
  
• Column a: Mode Drop-Down menu. Select the mode that your agency has stopped operating from the Drop-Down menu.
  
• Column b: Type of Service Drop-Down menu. Select the type of service (TOS) that your agency has stopped operating from the Drop-Down menu.
  
• Column c: Out of Service Date. Enter the date that the mode / type of service (TOS) was taken out of service.
  

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 (column e) will only accept a value between 0 and 23.

All reporting fields are required and must have a value entered before each month’s data can be date stamped.

Monthly data fields and the Edit Date button are no longer available before the month actually occurs.

Column a is now labeled estimated unlinked passenger trips (EUPT).

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 (estimated unlinked passenger trips (EUPT)
• 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 data reported on the Ridership Activity form (MR-20) must be consistent with the annual data reported in the Service form (S-10).

Data fields for future months will not appear until the 1st of the following month (i.e., February data fields will not be available until March 1).

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 should be date stamped by clicking the Edit Date button at the end of the row. The date under the Submit Date column should reflect the current date. Next click on the Save button at the bottom of the form to save the data. If you do not click on the Save button at the bottom of the form, the data will not be saved.

To close the form, click on the Close button to return to the Monthly Ridership tab. The submit date is the date that the user last updated and saved data for a particular month. Ridership data can be updated, date stamped and saved until the end of February of each year, after this time revisions must be done through your ridership analyst.

To revise data for prior months, enter the data in the appropriate cell for the month being revised. Click on the Edit Date button at the end of the row. The date under the Submit Date column should reflect the current date. Next, click on the Save button at the bottom of the form. To close the form, click on the Close button to return to the Monthly Ridership tab.

Estimated Unlinked Passenger Trips

Estimated unlinked passenger trips (EUPT) 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 (EUPT) 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 (EUPT). 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 estimated unlinked passenger trips (EUPT) 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 (EUPT). 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 estimated unlinked passenger trips (EUPT) 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 estimated unlinked passenger trips (EUPT) 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. This column will only accept a value between 0 and 23.

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 form. 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.

Completing the Ridership Activity form (MR-20)

From the Monthly Ridership screen, click on the Ridership Activity form (MR-20) link for the applicable mode / type of service (TOS).

Complete the Ridership Activity form (MR-20) following the instructions in this section. Data fields for future months will not appear until the 1st of the following month (i.e., February will not be available until March 1).

Form Level Help: Click on the Help tab at the top of the screen for form level help. A form note can be attached to any form. 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. Form notes can be edited or revised until the form is Date Stamped and saved after which new form notes can be added.

Saving and Closing the Form To save your data, click the Save button at the bottom of the form. If you do not click the Save button prior to closing the Ridership Activity form MR-20, your data will be lost. You will not be able to save data for any month if there are empty data fields for that line. This procedure is followed each month, or each time you return to a prior month to revise data.

Rail Modes

• Lines 01-12, column a: By Month - Estimated Unlinked Passenger Trips (EUPT). Enter the number of estimated unlinked passenger trips (EUPT) (need not be audited).
  
• Lines 01-12, column b: By Month - Passenger Car Revenue Hours. Enter the number of actual passenger car revenue hours (data need not be audited).
  
• Lines 01-12, column c: By Month - Passenger Car Revenue Miles. Enter the number of actual passenger car revenue miles (data need not be audited).
  
• Lines 01-12, column d: By Month - Passenger Cars in Operation. Enter the number of passenger cars in operation (data need not be audited).
  
• Lines 01-12, column e: Number of Regular Service Days each Month. Enter the number of days (0-23) during the month that the agency operates normal weekday service. Saturday, Sunday (holiday), reduced or special event service should not be included.
  
• Lines 01-12, column f: By Month - Edit Date. When all data have been entered for a particular month and the data have been verified for accuracy, the month's data should be date stamped by clicking the Edit Date button for that row. The submit date is the date that the user last updated data for a particular month. This procedure is followed each month, or each time you return to a prior month to revise data.

Non-Rail Modes

• Lines 01-12, column a: By Month - Estimated Unlinked Passenger Trips (EUPT.) Enter the number of estimated unlinked passenger trips (UPT) (need not be audited).
  
• Lines 01-12, column b: By Month - Vehicle Revenue Hours (VRH). Enter the number of actual vehicle revenue hours (VRH) (data need not be audited).
  
• Lines 01-12, column c: By Month - Vehicle Revenue Miles (VRM). Enter the number of actual vehicle revenue miles (VRM) (data need not be audited).
  
• Lines 01-12, column d: By Month - Vehicles Operated in Maximum Service (VOMS). Enter the number of vehicles operated in maximum service (VOMS) (data need not be audited).
  
• Lines 01-12, column e: Number of Regular Service Days each Month. Enter the number of days (0-23) during the month that the agency operates normal weekday service. Saturday, Sunday (holiday), reduced or special event service should not be included.
  
• Lines 01-12, column f: By Month - Edit Date. When all data have been entered for a particular month and the data have been verified for accuracy, the month's data should be date stamped by clicking the Edit Date button for that row. The submit date is the date that the user last updated data for a particular month. This procedure is followed each month, or each time you return to a prior month to revise data.