United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2007-07-27 monographic deposited born digital 49 p. GA 1.13:GAO-07-917 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-917 P0b002ee18037f1af f:d07917 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-917 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-917 GAO-07-917 Program evaluation Evaluation criteria Cost analysis Bus rapid transit Program management Mass transit funding Budgeting Future budget projections Procurement planning FTA New Starts Program FTA Small Starts Program FTA Very Small Starts Program Other Written Product A73530 Through the New Starts program, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) identifies and recommends new fixed-guideway transit projects for funding. The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) created a separate program, commonly called Small Starts, which is intended to offer a streamlined evaluation and rating process for smaller-scale transit projects. FTA subsequently introduced a separate eligibility category within the Small Starts program for "Very Small Starts" projects. These are simple, low-risk projects that qualify for a simplified evaluation and rating process. SAFETEA-LU requires GAO to annually review FTA's New Starts process. This report presents information on (1) FTA's fiscal year 2008 funding recommendations, (2) the extent to which the New Starts pipeline has changed over time, and (3) future projected trends for the New Starts and Small Starts pipelines. To address these objectives, GAO surveyed 215 project sponsors--78 percent of which responded--and interviewed FTA officials, 15 project sponsors, and 3 industry groups. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-917/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-917.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-917/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-917.pdf GAO-07-917 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-07-917 Other Written Product GAO-07-917; Public Transportation: Future Demand Is Likely for New Starts and Small Starts Programs, but Improvements Needed to the Small Starts Application Process; Program evaluation Evaluation criteria Cost analysis Bus rapid transit Program management Mass transit funding Budgeting Future budget projections Procurement planning FTA New Starts Program FTA Small Starts Program FTA Very Small Starts Program Title 42 Chapter 55 42 U.S.C. Chapter 55 Volume 119 Page 1573 119 Stat. 1573 Public Law 91-190 Public Law 109-59