[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 121 (Friday, June 24, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36690-36691]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-12530]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
[FTA Docket No. FTA-2005-21667]
Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB review
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 (44
U.S.C. 35001 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information
Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below has been forwarded to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for extension of the currently
approved information collection. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-
day comment period soliciting comments was published on March 30, 2005.
DATES: Comments must be submitted before July 25, 2005. A comment to
OMB is most effective if OMB receives it within 30 days of publication.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sylvia L. Marion, Office of
Administration, Office of Management Planning, (202) 366-6680.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: 49 U.S.C. Section 5335(a) and (b) National Transit Database
(OMB Number: 2132-0008)
Abstract: 49 U.S.C. Section 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 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
[[Page 36691]]
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.
Estimated Total Annual Burden: 231,954 hours.
ADDRESSES: All written comments must refer to the docket number that
appears at the top of this document and be submitted to the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget,
725-17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503, Attention: FTA Desk
Officer.
Comments Are Invited On: Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the Department, including whether the information will have practical
utility; the accuracy of the Department's estimate of the burden of the
proposed information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility,
and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize
the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including
the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of
information technology.
Issued: June 20, 2005.
Ann M. Linnertz,
Deputy Associate Administrator for Administration.
[FR Doc. 05-12530 Filed 6-23-05; 8:45 am]
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