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Transit division reports FTA review, completes fleet deliveries and shifts NTD reporting to city
Summary
Transit manager updated council on FTA triennial review, completion of long‑delayed vehicle deliveries, and the city's new responsibility for National Transit Database reporting.
Charlie Falman, transit program manager, told the council Aug. 12 that the city's transit program underwent a Federal Transit Administration triennial review in March 2025 and the review is expected to wrap up later in the year. Falman said the city has 15 transit vehicles in its urban system—a mix of cutaways, Ford Transits, minivans and two Ford Explorers—and confirmed the long backlog of vehicle orders cleared as several Ford Transit vehicles arrived this year.
Falman said the city took over National Transit Database (NTD) reporting from the contractor, so Grand Island now reports service statistics directly to the FTA. The transit division also produced its own Transit Asset Management (TAM) plan, replacing a previous participation in the state plan. He said federal capital reimbursements are 80 percent for vehicles and administrative capital and 50 percent for operating; the statewide public transit assistance program (PTA) typically covers half of the city's remaining operating match.
Falman said the transit development plan published in 2023 recommended maintaining the current system unless the state’s inner‑city bus program advanced; that state program has been removed from the governor’s budget and is not moving forward, so the city does not plan major system changes at this time.
No vote was held; council members asked about service wait windows and driver availability. Falman said the system uses a one‑hour trip window tied to requested drop‑off time and reported driver staffing is adequate, with an apparent interest among drivers to move to contract operator Brown Transit.
