[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 60 (Wednesday, March 30, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16329-16330]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-6202]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

[FTA Docket No. FTA-2005-20763]


Notice of Request for the Extension of Currently Approved 
Information Collection

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice announces the intention of the Federal Transit Administration 
(FTA) to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to extend 
the following currently approved annual information collection and 
approve the addition of the collection of some monthly data requested 
by Congress: 49 U.S.C. Sec.  5335(a) and (b) National Transit Database.

DATES: Comments must be submitted before May 31, 2005.

ADDRESSES: All written comments must refer to the docket number that 
appears at the top of this document and be submitted to the United 
States Department of Transportation, Central Dockets Office, PL-401, 
400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. All comments received 
will be available for examination at the above address from 10 a.m. to 
5 p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Those 
desiring notification of receipt of comments must include a self-
addressed, stamped postcard/envelope.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gary Delorme, National Transit 
Database Manager, Office of Program Management, (202) 366-1652.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Interested parties are invited to send 
comments regarding any aspect of this information collection, 
including: (1) The necessity and utility of the information collection 
for the proper performance of the functions of the FTA; (2) the 
accuracy of the estimated burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the collected information; and (4) ways to 
minimize the collection burden without reducing the quality of the 
collected information. Comments submitted in response to this notice 
will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval of 
this information collection.
    Title: 49 U.S.C. Section 5335(a) and (b) (OMB Number: 2132-0008).
    Background: 49 U.S.C. Sec.  5335(a) and (b) require the Secretary 
of Transportation to maintain a reporting system by uniform categories 
to accumulate mass transportation financial and operating information 
and a uniform system of accounts and records. Twenty years ago, the 
National Transit Database (NTD) was created by Congress to be the 
repository of transit data for the nation. For FTA, the NTD is an 
agency mission critical Information Technology (IT) system. Congress 
created the NTD to provide validated data to determine the allocations 
for FTA's major formula grant programs. Each year transit authorities 
that receive FTA funding submit performance data, via the Internet, to 
the NTD. For the formula funding, they submit data on vehicle miles, 
fixed-guideway miles, ridership, and operating costs. These performance 
data are used in statutory formulae to apportion over $4 billion in 
federal funds back to those agencies across the nation.
    In addition, Congress provides much of the investment in the 
capital infrastructure of transit. The NTD reports to Congress on the 
level of that investment and the condition and performance of the 
capital assets funded by Congress. It reports each bus and railcar, the 
average age of the vehicle fleets, as well as the costs, condition and 
performance of bus and rail systems. All transit safety and security 
data is reported to the NTD. Since the 9/11 tragedy, the Department of 
Homeland Defense receives security incident data from the NTD. The 
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Department of 
Transportation (DOT), and the Government Accounting Office (GAO) use 
NTD safety data. The Department of Justice and DOT use NTD data for 
compliance with bus and paratransit provisions of the Americans with 
Disabilities Act of 1990. The Department of Labor uses NTD employment, 
hours and wage data. In addition, NTD fuel and engine data is used by 
the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. The 
Federal Highway Administration incorporates transit financial and 
highway fixed-guideway (HOV) data in their annual reports. In fact, FTA 
could not fulfill its annual reporting requirements to Congress under 
the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) without NTD data. In 
addition, federal, state, and local governments, transit agencies/
boards, labor unions, manufacturers, researchers, consultants and 
universities use the NTD for making transit related decisions. State 
governments also use the NTD in allocating funds under 49 U.S.C. 
Section 5307 and use NTD data

[[Page 16330]]

to prepare annual state transit summaries. The NTD requires that 
transit costs be reported by mode, such as commuter rail, ferryboat, 
bus, subway, or light rail. Thus, the NTD is the only accurate national 
source of data on operating costs by mode. For example, without the 
NTD, it would be difficult to compare the average operating costs of 
bus versus light rail. NTD information is essential for understanding 
cost, ridership and other national performance trends, including 
transit's share of urban travel. It would be difficult to determine the 
future structure of FTA programs, to set policy, and to make funding 
and other decisions relating to the efficiency and effectiveness of the 
nation's transit operations without the NTD. For many years, OMB has 
approved the annual information collection under the NTD, as required 
by statute. Prior to 2002, the NTD received annual summary reports for 
safety, security and ridership data. In 2002, FTA added the monthly 
reporting of safety and security data and ridership data to the NTD at 
the direction of Congress.
    New NTD. In the 2000 DOT Appropriations Act, Congress directed FTA 
to develop a new NTD. In January 2002, a completely new NTD was 
launched on the Internet. It was completed on time and within budget. 
The new NTD includes an updated and streamlined version of the annual 
NTD that OMB has reviewed in the past, but it adds some monthly 
reporting that OMB has not reviewed. Congress, the DOT and the NTSB 
wanted monthly reporting of safety and security data. Also, to meet 
annual GPRA reporting requirements, Congress wanted transit ridership 
to be reported monthly. Congress provided FTA with the funds to design 
and program the new NTD. During the two-year development period for 
this system, Congress required that a panel of experts under the 
Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academy of Sciences 
review all NTD data elements. The FTA conducted outreach sessions on 
revisions to the NTD, prepared reports to Congress, and worked with the 
TRB panel to reduce unnecessary reporting and reporting burden. As a 
result, some forms and many data series were eliminated from the annual 
report.
    The new Internet-based system replaced the older diskette system 
and greatly reduced reporting burden. The new Internet system has pre-
submission validation, like Turbo-Tax. Many errors were caught prior to 
submission. The Internet system eliminated the time consuming mailing 
back and forth of submission errors to reporters, and re-mailing 
submission corrections back to FTA. The new annual NTD yielded 
significant timesavings and reduced reporting burden. In recent 
surveys, over 75 percent of reporters like the new annual system and 
find it to be a great improvement and timesavings.
    Much of the reduction in burden hours for the annual NTD reports 
were offset by the increase in time for filing monthly reports in the 
new NTD. Safety, security and ridership data has always been part of 
the purview of the NTD. Congress, the NTSB and DOT wanted FTA to 
generate more detailed, monthly safety data to develop causal factors. 
The Federal Railroad Administration, the National Highway Traffic 
Safety Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration report 
safety and security data monthly. Congress, DOT and the NTSB wanted FTA 
to harmonize with her sister agencies and provide monthly reports. 
Monthly reporting has increased reporting time. The net effect of 
monthly safety, security and ridership data reporting is to offset much 
of timesavings that the new NTD was able to produce for the annual 
reports. Total NTD reporting time has dropped only a little.
    Respondents: 647 total potential respondents, of which 70 very 
small systems seek exemptions from filing. Annually, about 577 entities 
file detailed reports. The respondents are primarily public transit 
authorities that are agencies of state and local governments. Reporters 
also include entities under contract to public transit agencies, such 
as, business or other for-profit institutions, non-profit institutions, 
and small business organizations.
    Estimated Annual Burden on Respondents: 402 hours for each of the 
577 respondents.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 231,954 hours.
    Frequency: Primarily annual, with monthly safety, security and 
ridership reports.

    Issued: March 24, 2005.
Ann M. Linnertz,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Administration.
[FR Doc. 05-6202 Filed 3-29-05; 8:45 am]
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