Glossary

After-action report—A report that evaluates the efficacy of an organization’s response to an event, incident, or emergency. These reports provide the organization the opportunity to identify areas in need of improvement and lessons learned.

Alternative service—A transportation option offered in place of an existing service that is subsidized by a transit agency or transportation organization.

Automatic passenger counters (APCs)—Devices on transit vehicles that record numbers of boardings and alightings; for transit agencies, APCs are typically in place in fixed-route buses and rail vehicles.

Concept of operations (ConOps) plan—A ConOps plan provides a framework for response during an emergency or disaster.

Contact tracing—A process to identify, assess, and manage individuals that have been infected or exposed to someone infected with a virus, enabling earlier detection of possible risk of infection.

Continuity of operations plan (COOP)—A plan for operations during a range of emergencies.

Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020—The CARES Act provided economic stimulus and aid in the United States. It included emergency funding to support transportation service that was allocated to state departments of transportation and transit agencies.

COVID-19—The abbreviated name of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which was first detected in 2019.

Double-busing—Scheduling additional bus runs close together to help meet service capacity demands; this strategy can be used during emergency service scenarios necessitating social distancing to help spread out riders across multiple vehicles.

Emergency operations center (EOC)—A center of staff from different departments and/or organizations that is operationalized during an emergency to coordinate resources, information, and communication between different organizations.

Essential worker—A worker who conducts a range of operations and services that are typically essential to continue critical infrastructure operations.

Incidental use—Use of federal funding and/or a federally funded asset normally designated for public transportation for a non-transit purpose.

Interactive voice response (IVR)—An automated telephone system combining prerecorded messages with a dual-tone multifrequency interface that recognizes caller input through the telephone keypad or speech prompts to direct users to their needed information.

Microtransit—A technology-enabled demand-response transit service, typically using shuttles or vans with dynamic, real-time routing and scheduling. Microtransit service is publicly funded (at least partially), and the intent is to have passengers share vehicles for their on-demand trips. Often, microtransit pools passenger trips together using pickup and dropoff points at common destinations, sometimes through curb-to-curb service for the passenger.

Personal protective equipment (PPE)—Protective clothing and equipment to guard individuals against possible risk or infection. During the COVID-19 pandemic, PPE such as face masks or shields and gloves were commonly used by transportation organization riders and employees.

Safety management systems (SMS)—As defined by FTA, a comprehensive, collaborative approach to managing safety.

Subsidy program—A service option in which the transportation organization pays a portion of the trip cost (after an initial charge and/or up to a certain limit) on behalf of a customer using an on-demand service provider, such as a TNC or taxicab.

Transportation network company (TNC)—Taxi-like services that provide travelers with on-demand access to a ride using a digital platform that connects travelers to drivers using personal vehicles.

Ultraviolet (UV) cleaning—A method to disinfect surfaces and spaces using short wavelength UV light to kill viruses and other microorganisms.

Volunteer driver program (VDP)—A service using volunteer drivers or escorts to provide transportation, typically for seniors, to local appointments. VDPs can use either volunteers’ own vehicles or a dedicated vehicle fleet.