September 2024

MDOT Launches ‘Advancing Rural Mobility’ Trip Planner to Enhance Transportation Access in Rural Areas

Fast Facts:

• The Advancing Rural Mobility pilot project has launched a new online trip planning tool for four rural public transit agencies and their riders.
• The project is funded through a United States Department of Transportation SMART grant.
• Participating public transit agencies include Benzie Bus, Cadillac/Wexford Transit Authority, Charlevoix County Transit, and Roscommon County Transportation Authority.

The Advancing Rural Mobility project’s trip planner tool aims to enhance transportation access and efficiencies in rural areas. To meet the unique needs of Michigan’s rural communities, the trip planner utilizes partner transit agencies’ service data to display possible trip-planning options. Transit riders will benefit from increased awareness of available transportation options, helping improve access to essential services, reduce isolation, and ultimately foster greater connectivity and quality of life.

Navigation Assistance – July 15, 2025, 9-10 a.m.

Learn about Tappy Guide, a smart city and transportation platform designed to enhance mobility for all. By integrating with infrastructure and public transit systems, Tappy Guide helps transportation agencies deliver safer, more accessible, and connected travel experiences — especially for people with disabilities and seniors. 

Better Tech Procurement – August 13, 2025, 11 a.m.-noon 

Procuring new technology is about more than selecting the lowest bid, it’s about setting yourself up for long-term success. Mona Ketterl, founder of CRAFT, technologist, and principal investigator for MDOT’s transit marketing and education research project, breaks down the biggest pitfalls in technology procurement—and how to avoid them. Too often, agencies step into procurement with unclear goals, broad specs, and minimal leverage. The result? Contracts that serve vendors more than the agencies themselves. This session will challenge that status quo by equipping attendees with the key questions to ask internally and with vendors, before, during, and after the RFP. Attendees will also get an early preview of MDOT’s upcoming guidebook, developed to help transit agencies budget and plan for the public engagement and marketing needed when rolling out new tech. 

Cybersecurity Risk – September 18, 2025, 10 a.m.- 11 a.m.

A recent Mineta Transportation Institute study, Does the Transit Industry Understand the Risks of Cybersecurity and are the Risks Being Appropriately Prioritized?, reveals that the vast majority  of small to mid-sized transit agencies are unprepared for a cyberattack – leaving their operations, staff, and riders vulnerable. Cybersecurity is a team effort that requires collaboration and shared accountability — it’s not just a tech issue.  Join Scott Belcher, the study’s principal investigator, as he discusses the study findings, recommendations, and a new initiative focused on conducting cybersecurity assessments in group cohorts to drive up cybersecurity engagement and drive down the costs of engagement.

SMART Summit 2024

USDOT Holds Second SMART Grantee Summit 

On July 10th and 11th, 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) held its second SMART Grantee Summit for the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants program. The Summit was held at the Volpe Center in Cambridge, MA with over 220 participants in attendance, including USDOT leadership and 83 SMART grant recipients from 39 states.