Eligibility Questions	Agency Name ___________________________ Date __________ Reviewer ________
1. Are all transit services provided by your system open to the general public?	See next question.
2. If not, describe any services not open to the public and why they are not.	Services must be open to the general public. Certain “incidental” uses of vehicles are allowed as long as they are limited to no more than 20% of vehicle use and do not interfere with public service. (See question ____.)
3. Are all vehicles providing transit services as part of your public transit program owned by your system?	See later questions.
4. If not, who else owns vehicles used for these services?	See later questions.
5. Are all vehicles providing service as part of your public transit program marked with your system name on both sides?	See later questions.
6. Are all vehicles owned by your transit system marked with your system name on both sides?	Required for official transit plates. (min 12”x12”)
7. Describe your vehicle markings. (signage)	[Compare to program standards – not currently established.]
8. Do any vehicle markings indicate specific client orientation?	Not allowed.
9. Are all vehicles owned by others, but providing service as part of your public transit program, marked with your system name on both sides?	Required for official transit plates. (min 12”x12”)

10. Describe how vehicles owned by others, but providing service as part of your public transit program, are marked. (signed)	[Compare to program standards – not currently established.]
11. Do markings on any of these vehicles owned by others indicate a specific client orientation?	Not allowed, if counted as part of transit stats.
12. If any vehicles have markings indicating specific client orientation, what efforts are made to inform the public that they are open to the general public?	Prior policy did not restrict markings so long as public was informed that service was open to them.
13. Does each vehicle display a phone number that can be used to request or inquire about transit services?	[Compare to program standards – not currently established.]
14. Is your public transit program listed under “bus lines” in the yellow pages of all major phone directories covering your service area?	Required under STA agreement.
15. What phone numbers are given out for your public transit services-including subcontracted services? (Include numbers for all services, if they differ.)	See next question.
16. Is each phone answered in such a way that it is clear that it is intended for transit calls? (Answer for each number above.)	Required.
17. Does the phone greeting make it clear that transit services are available to the general public? (at least no implication that they might be restricted to certain client groups)	Required.
18. Do all system brochures/schedules/flyers state that services are open to the public? [Collect samples.]	Required.
19. Have all (any) news articles described services as open to the public? (View scrapbook, if available.)	Required that this point be made to reporter, but understood that system does not control final article.
20. Are there other publications, possibly from an “umbrella agency,” which might describe transportation services performed as if they are only for client groups, without noting that they are open to the general public?	This is a concern, since umbrella is probably the actual recipient and should be maintaining image of public transit.

21. Describe any “incidental” services that your system or its subcontractors provide? (Include anything not advertised and operated open to the public.)	See following questions.
22. Are these incidental services provided with federally funded vehicles? If so how much incidental use is being made of these vehicles?	Total “incidental” use cannot exceed 20% of use of federally-funded vehicle. Federal funds cannot be used to purchase vehicle for incidental use.
23. Are the incidental services reported as such on year-end statistical reports?	Any services not advertised and open (other than required ADA paratransit for urbans) to the public must be reported as incidental.
24. When are these “incidental” services performed?	“Incidental” services must not interfere with public transit services. “OK” if incidental service is only during “off” hours. If during “normal” operating hours, check for conflict.
25. Does your system, including subproviders, provide any charter services? (If yes which subproviders?) [Include “special trips” etc. for any group which does not have any ongoing service contract with your system.]	Compare with fuel tax reports.
26. If any charters provided, provide log of charter trips provided.	Compare with fuel tax reports. Miles should reconcile to charter gallons on fuel tax report.
27. Have you gone through the annual process to publish a notice of intent and identified willing and able private charter operators or do you limit your charters to those agencies that are exceptions to the charter prohibition?	See following questions.
28. If went through process, when was last notice published? / When was finding announced?	Must be no more than 12 months since last “finding”
29. If went through process, was “private sector clearinghouse” used to distribute notice or were notices mailed direct to all required parties? (View documentation if direct mailed.)	Must be sent to ABA and UBOA plus all of Iowa’s certificated charter carriers
30. If went through process, what responses were received?	See next question.

31. If went through process, and willing and able private charter providers were identified, has system entered into a charter agreement with all firms thus identified?	Required in order to provide charter services beyond exceptions if willing and able firm id’ed
32. If limiting charter services to allowed exceptions, do you have the required charter eligibility certification on file for each charter performed? (View file.)	Must have certification for each charter trip. One certification can cover several prescheduled trips, but cannot be open-ended.
33. What provisions does your system have to communicate with members of the public who do not speak English?	Should have provisions to access bilingual staff or arrangements with other agency to get translation assistance.
34. Do you have written policies which describe your service, tell people how to use it, address complaint procedures, service limitations, how “no shows” and service denials are handled, etc?	Not required , but strongly recommended.