Home

Overview

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

This section provides Internet Reporting information for the Safety and Security report.

What Has Changed from Prior Year

There are no changes to Safety and Security Internet reporting for CY 2010.

Internet Reporting System Security

Numerous measures have been taken to ensure that all data entered into the Internet Reporting system is 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.

Detailed Instructions

Accessing Internet Reporting

Internet Reporting is accessed through the NTD Homepage.

To access Internet Reporting:

  • Connect to the Internet via your Internet service provider (ISP)
  • Verify your Internet Browser Settings
  • Access the NTD website at www.ntdprogram.gov
  • Access your transit agency’s Safety and Security report via the Internet Reporting Login link, which is located at the bottom left of the screen.

Connecting to the Internet

Use your Internet service provider 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 (or any other ISP that you may use, for example: Netscape.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.

In Netscape, this is done via Edit > Preferences > Advanced > Cache > Every Time.

The National Transit Database Website

Screenshot of the NTD Home Page

 

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

  • Internet Reporting Login link.

  • Contact the NTD Help Desk link.

  • What is the NTD? An overview of the NTD program, milestones in transit history, how to obtain an NTD ID number and an overview of the NTD reporting forms.

Reporting Manuals

  • Annual Reporting: Access to .html and .pdf versions of the current Annual Reporting Manual, an overview of reporting changes and highlights, reporting manual archives, etc.
  • Monthly Reporting: Access to .html and .pdf versions of the current Monthly Reporting Manual, an overview of the reporting changes and highlights, reporting manual archives, etc.
  • Safety and Security Reporting: Access to .html and .pdf versions of the current Safety and Security Reporting Manual, Newsletters, Safety and Security FAQs, an overview of reporting changes and highlights, reporting manual archives, etc.
  • Rural Reporting: Access to the Rural Reporting Manual, an overview of reporting changes and highlights, reporting manual archives, etc.

Data, Publications and Reference Materials

  • NTD Glossary: HTML version of the NTD Glossary of transit terms.
  • NTD Reference Materials: NTD reference materials such as the Uniform System of Accounts, FTA Circulars and Federal Register Notices.
  • Access NTD Data: HTML and downloadable .pdf publications, including the Data Tables, Profiles, National Transit Summaries and Trends, as well as Annual, Monthly and Historical databases and other data products.

NTD Resources

  • FTA / NTD Presentations, Announcements and Updates: FTA / NTD presentations, new and useful information, interim updates to reporting requirements, etc.
  • NTD Feedback: 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.
  • Seminars and Training: NTD Reporting Seminars and In-house Training information and registration
  • Transit Agency Listing by Region and External 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 NTD Report

Clicking the Internet Reporting Login link will open the Internet Reporting Login page. You must enter your user name and password to gain access to NTD Report Home.

Screen shot of the login page

Level of Access

Internet Reporting provides six levels of access to Safety and Security:

  1. CEO access: Edit, save and submit the CEO Certification and all safety and security forms
  2. NTD contact person: Edit, save and submit safety and security forms and delete unneeded/unwanted S&S-40 forms
  3. Safety contact: Edit, save and submit safety and security forms and delete unneeded/unwanted S&S-40 forms
  4. Safety editor Edit and save safety and security forms, but cannot submit forms
  5. Safety viewer: View safety and security forms only
  6. Security contact: View safety and security forms only

User Names and Passwords

The system access level is determined by the user name. The first portion of the user name defines the access level and the last four digits represent the agency’s NTD ID. There are five types of user names corresponding to the four access levels available within Safety and Security:

  1. CEO - CEOxxxx
  2. NTD contact person - NTDxxxx
  3. Safety and security contact person - SFTYNTDxxxx
  4. Safety and security editor - SFTYEDTxxxx
  5. Safety and security viewer - SFTYVWRxxxx
  6. Security contact person - SECURITYxxxx.

Each agency is e-mailed this set of user names with a password for each. NTD reporters 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.

If you have forgotten your user name and/or password, contact your Safety & Security Analyst. Note that user names and passwords can only be sent to persons identified as a contact on the Contacts form on the Annual tab.

image of hand pointingThe CEO and NTD Contact Person use their individual passwords for all report areas. The CEO and NTD Contact person access all reporting areas (Annual, Monthly and Safety and Security) from the Home tab.

Home: Safety and Security Report Home Page and Program Structure

Screen shot of the Home tab

Reporting Structure

After completing the login process using your SFTYNTDXXXX login, you will be taken to the  Homepage. Click the Home tab near the top of any screen to return to the Homepage from another area.

The Homepage includes the following tabs:

  • Home: The starting point when entering the NTD report. It displays the transit agency’s NTD annual analyst information and any project related announcements.

  • e-File: The e-File screen provides for processing and tracking any special correspondence and auto generated emails.

  • Annual: Access to the Annual reporting modules and forms.

  • Safety and Security: This screen provides access to the NTD Safety and Security reporting forms for creating, editing and submitting your report to FTA. Form-by-form instructions and reporting details for the Safety and Security Module are included in the NTD Safety and Security Reporting Manual. The Safety Contact person is responsible for submitting Safety and Security data to the NTD.

  • Reports: Print and export several different reports (Incident Summary, All Reportable Incidents Detail, etc.). All reports have been developed to allow the 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: A listing of all e-mail and telephone communications.

  • Sys Admin: Change Safety and Security passwords. You may only change the password of the User Name you are logged in under. Should you need assistance contact your Safety and Security analyst.

  • Help: Online version of the Safety and Security Reporting Manual.

Annual: Providing Access to the Identification (B-10) and Contacts (B-20) forms

 

Screen shot of the Annual tab

These forms are completed by the NTD contact person. These forms are only editable when logged in with the CEO and NTD User Names.

Communications Summary: Viewing a History of Correspondence with NTD

 

Screen shot of the Communications tab

The Communications tab gives transit agencies a centralized area in which to view 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

Screen shot of the System Administration tab

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

All passwords expire every ninety days. You can change your password at any time 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.

Safety and Security: Providing Incident Data

Screen shot of the Safety and Security tab

Clicking on the Safety and Security tab provides access to the Safety and Security forms for editing and submitting your reports to FTA.

Initially, only the File New S&S-40 link, File New S&S-50 link, and the Safety and Security Setup form (S&S-10) will be shown on the Safety and Security tab.  The Security Configuration form(s) (S&S-30) will appear after you complete the S&S-10 form.

To report an incident, click the File New S&S-40 link to begin the Report Set Up wizard which will help you to determine either, if an incident is reportable, or which report you will need to file (Reportable Incident Report form (S&S-40) or Safety and Security Monthly Summary form (S&S-50).
Once a report is completed, five data fields are populated to assist you with tracking and monitoring the status of your reports:

  1. Update user: Identifies the user entering or modifying the report.
  2. Incident date: The date of the incident that was reported.
  3. Creation date: The date the report was first saved.
  4. Update date: If a report has been revised, this identifies the date of entry or modification.
  5. Submit date: The date of submission.  If a report is submitted again after editing, this date will be updated.

Form-by-form instructions and reporting details for the Safety and Security forms are included in the specific forms sections of this manual.

Reports: Viewing, Printing, and Exporting NTD Safety and Security Reports

Screen shot of the Report tab

Click on the Reports tab to display the Reports screen. This screen provides access to the Safety and Security reports.

The following reports are available on the Reports screen:

  • Major  Incidents (S&S-40) Summary by Mode / Service report

  • Non-Major Incidents (S&S-50) Summary by Mode / Service report

  • Security Configuration (S&S-30) Summary report.

  • Safety and Security CEO Certification

Major Incidents Summary by Mode / Service report

Click on the Major Incidents Summary by Mode / Service report link to view a summary of all the reportable incidents (S&S-40) by mode / service.

Non-Major Incidents Summary by Mode / Service report

Click on the Non-Major Incidents Summary by Mode / Service report link to view a summary of all the Safety and Security Monthly Summary incidents (S&S-50) by mode / type of service.

Security Configuration Summary report

Click on the Security Configuration Summary Report (S&S-30) link to view a summary of the security configuration.

Help: Obtaining More Information

Screen shot of the Help tab

Click on the Help tab to display the Help screen. The Help screen provides access to the current Safety and Security Reporting Manual.

Tips for Using Internet Reporting

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

Provided you are logged in with the appropriate user name access level, 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.

Deleting a Major Incident Report (S&S-40) Form

To delete a Major Incident report you must first be logged in with the appropriate user name access level to have the Delete button available to you. Open the incident report that is going to be deleted and scroll to the bottom of the screen. Following the Save, Submit, and Close buttons, there is a Delete button. To delete the incident report, click the Delete button. A prompt stating, “Are you sure you want to delete this form?” will appear. If you wish to delete this report, choose Ok. If you do not wish to delete this report, choose Cancel.

After the Delete button has been chosen, you will be returned to the Safety and Security summary screen.