Click here to view a map of the SERVICE AREA of each of Iowa’s sixteen regional transit systems which serve multiple counties.  Service is provided within each of Iowa's ninety-nine counties as well as between counties and between regions. These regional systems are organized in various ways. Some are public agencies, while others are private-non profit entities. Some of the agencies are part of another agency and others are free-standing. Brokered Systems are those transit systems that provide no direct service, but contract with subproviders to operate transit services.  Brokered Systems are responsible for all services and COMPLIANCE of all operators.

If a county elects to withdraw from participating in a region's public transit program, it may designate another region as its single administrative agency if all three of the following conditions are met:

1.      The new region's area adjoins the county;

2.      A majority of the counties participating in the public transit program of the adjoining region agree to accept the county as a participant in their program; and

3.      The Iowa DOT concurs in a county's designation of a single administrative agency that has already been duly designated by a contiguous region.

If an agency designated as the regional transit system no longer wishes to serve this function, or if the counties involved feel the agency is not performing its role adequately, the counties may choose to designate a new transit agency.

Iowa DOT policy requires the federal share of all VEHICLEs and any other federally funded equipment be transferred to a newly designated regional system to be used for the original public transportation purpose. Iowa DOT policy does not require any buyout of the local share; however, a buyout is normally a locally-negotiated issue. In the past, agreements have ranged from a complete local share transfer to complete buyout of the local share by the new agency.

Any program surplus dollars reserved for a specified transit purpose, such as designated transit capital replacement funds, are expected to transfer.  The transfer of transit funds generated as an inadvertent result of differences in contracted service rates and actual costs would be negotiated between the transferring parties.  The transfer of any remaining transit funds received from local governments and agencies is also negotiated between the newly designated agency and the former agency.  The counties involved will resolve any conflicts or concerns of local share. Transit service contracts should state how surplus funds are handled.

State COMPLIANCE Requirements

(State Transit Assistance and Amoco Loan Funding Only)

All services funded with State funds shall be open to the general public.

All services funded with State funds shall be advertised.

All procurement(s) or construction(s) funded with state funds shall be subject to the following procedural guidance listed for State funds and subject to oversight:

i.   Appendix E, chapters 910, 920, and 921        

ii.   Appendices F, N, S, T, U, and W

Bid specifications for projects over $25,000 must be submitted  to the Iowa DOT for approval.

Any property purchased and/or any land on which facilities are to be constructed upon with State funds shall be free of all legal encumbrance and a legal description of the designated tract of land shall be on file with the transit agency.

The transit system agrees that any property purchased or any facility constructed with State funds shall be used for the provision of public passenger transportation service within the area described in the application for the useful life of the property/facility as determined by the Iowa DOT.

The transit system shall maintain all property purchased or constructed at a high level of cleanliness, safety and mechanical soundness.  The cost of such maintenance shall be the full responsibility of the transit system.  The Iowa DOT shall have the right to conduct periodic inspection for the purpose of confirming proper maintenance of such property.

If the property is not continuously used for public passenger transportation in a manner similar to that intended by the application, the transit system shall immediately notify the Iowa DOT. 

Any revenue generated by interest payments on advance funds received by the AGENCY shall be credited to the PROJECT or repaid to the Iowa DOT.

Add Property Inventory forms must be submitted within 45 days of acceptance of FTA or state funded equipment that cost $5,000 or more.  Items of lesser cost must be added to each agencies asset inventory and assigned an identification number.

Asset/Property Disposition Reports must be submitted within 45 days after any federally funded VEHICLE, equipment, or facility has been disposed.

The transit system shall secure an audit which shall include an identification of the fully-allocated costs of the public transit program and list all sources of funding which contributed to the support of these costs (State funds and FTA funds received for transit operation, capital or planning activities by individual contract). 

All records applicable to any project funded with STA or Amoco Loan funds must be retained and available to the Iowa DOT for a period of three (3) years after the issuance of the audit report following close-out of the JOINT PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT that funded purchase of some asset or provision of a transit service.

Quarterly Statistical Report shall be submitted each quarter, along with a year-end report (due within 45 days from the end of each quarter),

Quarterly Fuel Tax Reports shall be submitted each quarter (filed within 30 calendar days of the end of the reporting quarter), and

Year-end Odometer Readings shall be submitted at the end of the state fiscal year (due 45 days from end of state fiscal year).

Commercial Automobile Liability - combined single limit $1,000,000.

An STA formula projection must be included in at least the first year of the local area TIP and Iowa STIP. 

Passenger Transportation Development Plans (due April 1 of each year)

Consolidated Funding Applications (due May 1 each year)

Federal COMPLIANCE Requirements

THIRD PARTY Contracting Requirements, FTA Circular 4220.1E

Buy America

Pre-Award and Post-Delivery Audits of Rolling Stock Purchases, 49 CFR 663

Guidance on Buy America Requirements of the Pre-Award and Post-Delivery

Bus Testing, 49 CFR 665

Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Handicap in Programs and Activities Receiving or Benefitting from Federal Financial Assistance, 49 CFR 27

Transportation Services for Individuals With Disabilities, 49 CFR 37

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ACCESSIBILITY Specifications for Transportation VEHICLEs, 49 CFR 38, Subpart B 

Contract Provisions Required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Arrangement Pursuant to Section 13(c) of the Federal Transit Act Protecting Workers Represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union PROTESTprocedure.pdf">(.PDF) (844K) for Statewide Capital Projects (5309); 

COMPLIANCE/olms/13cfactsheet.htm">Special Section 13(c) Warranty for Application to the Small Urban and Rural Program (5311)

Procedures for Transportation Workplace Drug Testing Programs, 49 CFR 40;

Prevention of PROHIBITED DRUG Use and ALCOHOL Misuse in Transit Operations, 49 CFR 655;  Amendment to Definition of "Substance Abuse Professional," 61 FR 9969; Definition of a SAP under 49 CFR Part 40 [revised as of October 1, 2002]

Procedures for Transportation Workplace Drug and ALCOHOL Testing Programs; Insufficient Specimens and Other Issues, 61 FR 37693;

Amendments to Opiate Threshold Levels, 63 FR 65128;

Prevention of PROHIBITED DRUG Use in Transit Operations: Prevention of ALCOHOL Misuse in Transit Operations, 63 FR 67612;

Environmental Impact and Related Procedures, 23 CFR 771;

Participation by Disadvantaged Business Enterprises in Department of Transportation Programs; Final Rule, 64 FR 5095

Disadvantage Business Enterprise Program

Cost Principles for State, Local and Indian Tribal Governments, OMB Circular A-87

Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments, 49 CFR 18

Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements with Institutions of Higher Education, Hospitals and Other Non-Profit Organizations, Final Revision to OMB Circular A-110, 58 FR 62992 

Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996, Public Law 104-156

Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations, OMB Circular A-133

Submit NTD data yearly to either FTA or Iowa DOT (required for Year-end Statistical Report submittals)

Submit JARC data yearly to either FTA or Iowa DOT

Chapter 2 Highlights

·   35 Designated Transit Systems

·   four large urban systems in metropolitan areas greater than 200,000 population

·   eight large urban transit systems in cities with a population between 50,000 and 200,000

·   seven small urban transit systems in cities with population under 50,000

·   sixteen regional transit systems serve each of Iowa's ninety-nine counties

·   Chapter 342A of the Iowa Code

·   within each urban area or region, local officials must designate a single agency to be responsible for the administration and provision of transit services to the general public

·   in order to receive state or federal funding, services must be open to the general public

·   complete information about the availability of the service must be provided to the general public

·   incidental transportation activities can not exceed 20 percent of the total use of the fleet

·   services should be coordinated to meet the transportation needs of agencies in the service area

·   $1,000,000 liability insurance is required on each transit VEHICLE

·   IDOT strongly encourages $1,000,000 liability for underinsured/uninsured motorists.

·   state and federally funded equipment or facilities must be adequately maintained.

·   responsible for overseeing subproviders and assuring they are in COMPLIANCE with all federal and state regulations.

·   State COMPLIANCE Requirements

·   Federal COMPLIANCE requirements