Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 83 / Monday, April 30, 2012 / Notices 25529 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Transit Administration 

Over-the-Road Bus Accessibility 

Program Grants 

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration 

(FTA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability of Fiscal 

Year 2012 Funds: Solicitation of Grant 

Proposals. 

Funds: Notice of funding availability: 

Solicitation of project proposals. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of 

Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Transit 

Administration (FTA) announces the 

availability of funds in Fiscal Year (FY) 

2012 for the Over-the-Road Bus 

Accessibility (OTRB) Program, initially 

authorized by Section 3038 of the 

Transportation Equity Act for the 21st 

Century (TEA–21). The OTRB program 

makes funds available to private 

operators of over-the-road buses to 

finance the incremental capital and 

training costs of complying with DOT’s 

over-the-road bus accessibility 

regulation. The authorizing legislation 

calls for national solicitation of 

proposals, with grantees to be selected 

on a competitive basis. Program funds 

are available to intercity fixed-route 

providers and other OTRB providers at 

up to 90 percent of the project cost. 

The Surface and Air Transportation 

Programs Extension Act of 2011, Public 

Law 112–30, continues the 

authorization of the Federal transit 

programs of the U.S. Department of 

Transportation (DOT) through March 

31, 2012, and provides contract 

authority for this program equal to 

approximately one half of the amounts 

available in FY 2011. Approximately 

$8.8 million is expected to be available 

for the OTRB program discretionary 

allocation and may include other 

discretionary program funds that 

become available. The total amount of 

funding available will be contingent on 

Congressional authorization and 

appropriation prior to the selection of 

awardees, and based on the timing of 

such funding becoming available, may 

also include funding appropriated for 

Fiscal Year 2013. 

DATES: Complete proposals for the 

OTRB program announced in this 

Notice must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. 

EDT on June 7, 2012. All proposals must 

be submitted electronically through the 

APPLY function at http://www.grants.

gov. Any applicant intending to apply 

should initiate the process of registering 

on the GRANTS.GOV site immediately 

to ensure completion of registration 

before the submission deadline. 

Instructions for applying can be found 

on FTA’s Web site at http://www.fta.dot.

gov/otrb and in the ‘‘FIND’’ module of 

GRANTS.GOV. FTA may announce 

grant selections in the Federal Register 

when the competitive selection process 

is complete. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Contact the appropriate FTA Regional 

Office found at http://www.fta.dot.gov 

for proposal-specific information and 

issues. For general program questions, 

contact Blenda Younger, Office of 

Program Management, (202) 366–4345, 

email: blenda.younger@dot.gov. A TDD 

is available at 1–800–877–8339 (TDD/ 

FIRS). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents 

I. Overview 

II. Program Purpose 

III. Program Information 

A. Award Information 

B. Eligible Applicants 

C. Eligible Projects 

D. Cost Sharing and Matching 

IV. Proposal and Submission Information 

V. Evaluation Criteria 

VI. Award Administration Information 

VII. Agency Contacts 

I. Overview 

A. Authority 

The program is authorized under Title 

49, United States Code, Section 

5338(a)(1)(c)(ii), as amended. 

B. Background 

OTRBs are used in intercity fixedroute service as well as other services, 

such as commuter, charter, and tour bus 

services. These services are an 

important element of the U.S. 

transportation system. TEA–21 

authorized the OTRB program to assist 

OTRB operators in complying with the 

Department’s OTRB Accessibility 

regulation, ‘‘Transportation for 

Individuals with Disabilities’’ (49 CFR 

part 37, subpart H). 

Under the OTRB Accessibility 

regulation, all new buses obtained by 

large (Class I carriers, i.e., those with 

gross annual transportation revenues of 

$8.7 million or more) fixed-route 

carriers after October 30, 2000, must be 

accessible, with wheelchair lifts and tiedowns that allow passengers to ride in 

their own wheelchairs. The rule 

required 50 percent of the fixed-route 

operators fleets to be accessible by 2006, 

and 100 percent of the vehicles in their 

fleets to be accessible by October 29, 

2012. New buses acquired by small 

(gross transportation revenues of less 

than $8.7 million annually) fixed-route 

operators after October 29, 2001, also 

are required to be lift-equipped, 

although they do not have a deadline for 

total fleet accessibility. Small operators 

also can provide equivalent service in 

lieu of obtaining accessible buses. 

Starting in 2001, charter and tour 

companies must provide service in an 

accessible bus on 48 hours advance 

notice. Fixed-route operators must also 

provide this kind of service on an 

interim basis until their fleets are 

completely accessible. 

Operators should consult 49 CFR part 

37, subpart H, regarding the acquisition 

of accessible vehicles and the provision 

of accessible service to determine the 

applicable section that best describes 

their operating characteristics. 

Specifications describing the design 

features of an accessible over-the-road 

bus are listed in 49 CFR part 38, 

subpart G. 

II. Program Purpose 

The purpose of the OTRB program is 

to improve mobility by ensuring that the 

transportation system is accessible, 

integrated, and efficient, and offers 

flexibility of choices. OTRB projects 

will improve mobility for individuals 

with disabilities by providing financial 

assistance to help make vehicles 

accessible. The program will also 

provide training to ensure drivers and 

others are properly trained to use 

accessibility features. Sensitivity 

training for serving patrons with 

disabilities is also included. 

Vehicle and Service Definitions 

An ‘‘over-the-road bus’’ is defined in 

49 CFR 37.3 as a bus characterized by 

an elevated passenger deck located over 

a baggage compartment. 

Intercity, fixed-route over-the-road 

bus service is regularly scheduled bus 

service for the general public, using an 

OTRB that operates with limited stops 

over fixed routes connecting two or 

more urban areas not in close proximity 

or connecting one or more rural 

communities with an urban area not in 

close proximity; has the capacity for 

transporting baggage carried by 

passengers; and makes meaningful 

connections with scheduled intercity 

bus service to more distant points. The 

application includes six factors that will 

be reviewed to determine eligibility for 

a portion of the funding available to 

operators that qualify under this 

definition. 

‘‘Other’’ OTRB service means any 

other transportation using OTRBs, 

including local fixed-route service, 

commuter service, and charter or tour 

service (including tour or excursion 

service that includes features in 

addition to bus transportation such as 

meals, lodging, admission to points of 

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interest or special attractions). While 

some commuter service may also serve 

the needs of some intercity fixed-route 

passengers, the statute includes 

commuter service in the definition of 

‘‘other’’ service. Commuter service 

providers may apply for these funds, 

even though the services designed to 

meet the needs of commuters may also 

provide service to intercity fixed-route 

passengers on an incidental basis. If a 

commuter service provider can 

document that more than 50 percent of 

its passengers are using the service as 

intercity fixed-route service, the 

provider may apply for the funds 

designated for intercity fixed-route 

operators. 

III. Program Information 

A. Award Information 

Federal transit funds are available to 

intercity fixed-route providers and other 

OTRB providers at up to 90 percent of 

the project cost. A total of $8,800,000 is 

expected to be available for the program 

in FY 2012. Successful applicants will 

be awarded grants. Typical grants under 

this program range from $25,000 to 

$180,000, with most grants being less 

than $40,000, for lift equipment for a 

single vehicle. 

B. Eligible Applicants 

Grants will be made directly to 

operators of over-the-road buses. 

Intercity, fixed-route OTRB service 

providers may apply for the funds 

appropriated for intercity fixed-route 

providers in FY 2012. Applicants must 

establish eligibility as intercity fixedroute providers by meeting six factors 

identified in the application. Other 

OTRB service providers, including 

operators of local fixed-route service, 

commuter service, and charter or tour 

service may apply for the funds that 

were appropriated in FY 2012 for these 

providers. OTRB operators who provide 

both intercity, fixed-route service and 

another type of service, such as 

commuter, charter or tour, may apply 

for both categories of funds with a single 

application. Private for-profit operators 

of over-the-road buses are eligible to be 

direct applicants for this program. This 

is a departure from most other FTA 

programs for which the direct applicant 

must be a State or local public body. 

FTA does not award grants to public 

entities under this program. 

Section 50 of FTA’s Master 

Agreement, titled ‘‘Special Provisions 

for Over-the-Road Bus Accessibility 

Projects,’’ incorporates the U.S. 

Department of Transportation’s 

regulations implementing the 

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 

(49 CFR part 37). Section 37.213 of the 

implementing regulation requires 

private OTRB operators to file annual 

submissions with the Federal Motor 

Carrier Safety Administration’s 

(FMCSA) Office of Data Analysis and 

Administration. Because compliance 

with all applicable Federal laws is a 

term and condition of grant eligibility, 

applicants who are not in compliance 

with the FMCSA filing requirements 

will be ineligible to participate in this 

program. 

C. Eligible Projects 

Projects to finance the incremental 

capital and training costs of complying 

with DOT’s OTRB accessibility rule (49 

CFR Part 37) are eligible for funding. 

Incremental capital costs eligible for 

funding include adding lifts, tie-downs, 

moveable seats, doors and training costs 

associated with using the accessibility 

features and serving persons with 

disabilities. Retrofitting vehicles with 

such accessibility components is also an 

eligible expense. Please see Buy 

America section for further conditions 

of eligibility. 

FTA may award funds for costs 

already incurred by the applicants. Any 

new wheelchair accessible vehicles 

delivered after June 8, 1998, the date 

that the TEA–21 became effective, are 

eligible for funding under the program. 

Vehicles of any age that have been 

retrofitted with lifts and other 

accessibility components after June 8, 

1998, are also eligible for funding. 

Eligible training costs are those 

required by the final accessibility rule as 

described in 49 CFR 37.209. These 

activities include training in proper 

operation and maintenance of 

accessibility features and equipment, 

boarding assistance, securement of 

mobility aids, sensitive and appropriate 

interaction with passengers with 

disabilities, and handling and storage of 

mobility devices. The costs associated 

with developing training materials or 

providing training for local providers of 

OTRB services for these purposes are 

also eligible expenses. 

FTA will not fund the incremental 

costs of acquiring used accessible 

OTRBs that were previously owned, as 

it may be impossible to verify whether 

or not FTA funds were already used to 

make the vehicles accessible. Also, it 

would be difficult to place a value on 

the accessibility features based upon the 

depreciated value of the vehicle. The 

legislative intent of this grant program is 

to increase the number of wheelchair 

accessible OTRBs available to persons 

with disabilities throughout the country. 

The purchase of previously-owned 

accessible vehicles, whether or not they 

were funded by FTA, does not further 

this objective. 

FTA has sponsored the development 

of accessibility training materials for 

public transit operators. FTA-funded 

Project ACTION is a national technical 

assistance program to promote 

cooperation between the disability 

community and the transportation 

industry. Project ACTION provides 

training, resources and technical 

assistance to thousands of disability 

organizations, consumers with 

disabilities, and transportation 

operators. It maintains a resource center 

with up-to-date information on 

transportation accessibility. Project 

ACTION may be contacted at: Project 

ACTION, 1425 K Street NW., Suite 200, 

Washington, DC 20005, Phone: 1–800– 

659–6428 (TDD: (202) 347–7385), 

Internet address: http:// 

www.projectaction.org/. 

D. Cost Sharing and Matching 

Federal transit funds are available to 

intercity fixed-route providers and other 

OTRB providers at up to 90 percent of 

the project cost. A 10 percent local 

match is required. 

IV. Proposal and Submission 

Information 

A. Proposal Submission Process 

Project proposals must be submitted 

electronically through http:// 

www.GRANTS.GOV by 11:59 p.m. EDT 

on June 7, 2012. Mail and fax 

submissions will not be accepted. 

A complete proposal submission will 

consist of at least two files: (1) The SF 

424 Mandatory form (downloaded from 

GRANTS.GOV) and (2) the OTRB 

supplemental form found on the FTA 

Web site at http://www.fta.dot.gov/otrb. 

The supplemental form provides 

guidance and a consistent format for 

proposers to respond to the criteria 

outlined in this Notice of Funding 

Availability (NOFA). Once completed, 

the supplemental form must be placed 

in the attachments section of the SF 424 

Mandatory form. Proposers must use the 

supplemental form and attach it to their 

submission in GRANTS.GOV to 

successfully complete the application 

process. A proposal submission may 

contain additional supporting 

documentation as attachments. 

Within 24–48 hours after submitting 

an electronic application, the applicant 

should receive three email messages 

from GRANTS.GOV: (1) Confirmation of 

successful transmission to 

GRANTS.GOV, (2) confirmation of 

successful validation by GRANTS.GOV 

and (3) confirmation of successful 

validation by FTA. If confirmations of 

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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 83 / Monday, April 30, 2012 / Notices 25531 

successful validation are not received 

and a notice of failed validation or 

incomplete materials is received, the 

applicant must address the reason for 

the failed validation or incomplete 

materials, as described in the notice, 

and resubmit before the submission 

deadline. If making a resubmission for 

any reason, include all original 

attachments regardless of which 

attachments are updated, and check the 

box on the supplemental form 

indicating this is a resubmission. 

Complete instructions on the 

application process can be found at 

http://www.fta.dot.gov/otrb. Important: 

FTA urges proposers to submit their 

proposals at least 72 hours prior to the 

due date to allow time to receive the 

validation message and to correct any 

problems that may have caused a 

rejection notification. Submissions after 

the stated submission deadlines will not 

be accepted. GRANTS.GOV scheduled 

maintenance and outage times are 

announced on the GRANTS.GOV Web 

site http://www.GRANTS.GOV. The 

deadline will not be extended due to 

scheduled maintenance or outages. 

Proposers may submit one proposal 

for each project or one proposal 

containing multiple projects. Proposers 

submitting multiple projects in one 

proposal must be sure to clearly define 

each project by completing a 

supplemental form for each project. 

Supplemental forms must be added 

within the proposal by clicking the ‘‘add 

project’’ button in Section II of the 

supplemental form. 

B. Application Guidelines 

The proposal should provide 

information on all items for which you 

are requesting funding in FY 2012. If 

you use another company’s previous 

proposal as a guide, remember to 

modify all elements as appropriate to 

reflect your company’s situation. The 

proposal must include a brief project 

narrative in the Standard Form 424, 

‘‘Application for Federal Assistance’’, 

and a more substantive narrative, in the 

Project Executive Summary, in the 

Supplemental FTA form. The following 

information must be included in the 

supplemental forms for all requests for 

OTRB funding. 

C. Proposal Content 

1. Applicant Information 

This addresses basic identifying 

information, including: 

i. Company name. 

ii. Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data 

Universal Numbering System (DUNS) 

number. 

iii. Contact information for 

notification of project selection: Contact 

name, address, email address, fax and 

phone number. 

iv. Description of services provided 

by company, including areas served. 

v. For fixed-route carriers, whether 

you are a large (Class I, with gross 

annual transportation revenues of $8.7 

million or more) or small (gross 

transportation revenues of less than $8.7 

million annually) carrier. 

vi. Existing fleet and employee 

information, including number of overthe-road buses used for (1) intercity 

fixed-route service, and (2) other 

service, and number of employees. 

vii. If you provide both intercity 

fixed-route service and another type of 

service, such as commuter, charter or 

tour service, please provide an estimate 

of the proportion of your service that is 

intercity. 

viii. Description of your technical, 

legal, and financial capacity to 

implement the proposed project. 

Include evidence that you currently 

possess appropriate operating authority 

(e.g., DOT number if you operate 

interstate or identifier assigned by State 

if you do not operate interstate service). 

2. Project Information 

Every proposal must: 

i. Provide the Federal amount 

requested for each purpose for which 

funds are sought. 

ii. Document matching funds, 

including amount and source. 

iii. Describe project, including 

components to be funded (e.g., lifts, tiedowns, moveable seats, or training). 

iv. Provide project timeline, including 

significant milestones such as date or 

contract for purchase of vehicle(s), and 

actual or expected delivery date of 

vehicles. 

v. Address each of the five statutory 

evaluation criteria described in Section 

V. 

vi. If requesting funding for intercity 

service, provide evidence that: 

a. The applicant provides scheduled, 

intercity, fixed route, over-the-road bus 

service that interlines with one or more 

scheduled, intercity bus operators. 

(Such evidence includes applicant’s 

membership in the National Bus Traffic 

Association or participation in separate 

interline agreements, and participation 

in interline tariffs or price lists issued 

by, or on behalf of, scheduled, intercity 

bus operators with whom the applicant 

interlines); and 

b. The applicant has obtained 

authority from the Federal Motor Carrier 

Safety Administration or the Interstate 

Commerce Commission to operate 

scheduled, intercity, fixed route service; 

and as many of the following as are 

applicable; 

c. The applicant is included in 

Russell’s Official National Motor Coach 

Guide showing that it provides regularly 

scheduled, fixed route OTRB service 

with meaningful connections with 

scheduled intercity bus service to more 

distant points. 

d. The applicant maintains a Web site 

showing routes and schedules of its 

regularly scheduled, fixed route OTRB 

service and its meaningful connections 

to other scheduled, intercity bus service. 

e. The applicant maintains published 

schedules showing its regularly 

scheduled, fixed route OTRB service 

and its meaningful connections to other 

scheduled, intercity bus service. 

f. The applicant participates in the 

International Registration Plan (IRP) 

apportionment program. 

3. Labor Information 

The Applicant agrees to comply with 

the terms and conditions of the Special 

Warranty for the Over-the-Road Bus 

Accessibility program that is most 

current as of the date of execution of the 

Grant Agreement or Cooperative 

Agreement for the project, and any 

alternative comparable arrangements 

specified by U.S. Department of Labor 

(DOL) for application to the Applicant’s 

project, in accordance with DOL 

guidelines, ‘‘Section 5333(b), Federal 

Transit Law,’’ 29 CFR part 215, and any 

revisions thereto. Any DOL Special 

Warranty that may be provided and any 

documents cited therein are 

incorporated by reference and made part 

of the Grant Agreement. Additional 

information regarding grants that 

require referral can be found on DOL’s 

Web site: https://www.dol.gov/esa/olms/ 

regs/compliance/redesign_2006/ 

redesign2006_transitemplprotect.htm. 

D. Intergovernmental Review 

This program is not generally subject 

to Executive Order (EO) 12372, 

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs.’’ For more information, 

contact the State’s Single Point of 

Contact (SPOC) to find out about and 

comply with the State’s process under 

EO 12372. The names and addresses of 

the SPOCs are listed in the Office of 

Management and Budget’s homepage at 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/ 

spoc.html. 

E. Funding Restrictions 

Only proposals from eligible 

recipients for eligible activities will be 

considered for funding. Due to funding 

limitations, applicants that are selected 

for funding may receive less than the 

amount requested. FTA intends to fund 

as many meritorious projects as 

possible. In addition, geographic 

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25532 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 83 / Monday, April 30, 2012 / Notices 

diversity may be considered in FTA’s 

award decisions. FTA may also consider 

other factors, such as the size of the 

applicant’s fleet and the level of FTA 

funding previously awarded to 

applicants in prior years. Applicants 

will not be considered for funding as 

intercity fixed-route operators unless 

they satisfy, at a minimum, the first two 

factors and at least one of factors three 

through six listed in the Project 

Information section of the application; 

these factors are applicable to intercity 

fixed-route applicants. 

V. Evaluation Criteria 

Projects will be evaluated according 

to the following criteria: 

1. The identified need for OTRB 

accessibility for persons with 

disabilities in the areas served by the 

applicant. 

2. The extent to which the applicant 

demonstrated innovative strategies and 

financial commitment to providing 

access to OTRBs to persons with 

disabilities. 

3. The extent to which the OTRB 

operator acquired equipment required 

by DOT’s over-the-road bus accessibility 

rule prior to the required time-frame in 

the rule. 

4. The extent to which financing the 

costs of complying with DOT’s rule 

presents a financial hardship for the 

applicant. 

5. The impact of accessibility 

requirements on the continuation of 

OTRB service with particular 

consideration of the impact of the 

requirements on service to rural areas 

and for low-income individuals. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

A. Review and Selection Process 

In addition to other FTA staff that 

may review the proposals, a technical 

evaluation committee will review 

proposals under the project evaluation 

criteria. Members of the technical 

evaluation committee and other 

involved FTA staff reserve the right to 

screen and rate the proposals it receives 

and to seek clarification from any 

applicant about any statement in its 

application that FTA finds ambiguous 

and/or request additional 

documentation to be considered during 

the evaluation process to clarify 

information contained within the 

proposal. 

After consideration of the findings of 

the technical evaluation committee, the 

FTA Administrator will determine the 

final selection and amount of funding 

for each project. FTA expects to 

announce the selected projects and 

notify successful applicants in August 

2012. 

Once successful applicants are 

announced, they will work with the 

appropriate Regional office to develop a 

grant application consistent with the 

selected proposal in FTA’s 

Transportation Electronic Award 

Management System (TEAM). 

Incomplete or non-responsive 

applications will be disqualified. 

Applicants that do not qualify as 

intercity-fixed route operators may be 

considered for funding in the ‘‘other’’ 

category using the same application. 

FTA will make an effort to award every 

qualified applicant at least one lift, and, 

may consider the percentage of fleet 

currently accessible when reviewing 

proposals. 

B. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

1. Grant Requirements 

Applicants selected for funding must 

include documentation necessary to 

meet the requirements of FTA’s 

Nonurbanized Area Formula program 

(Title 49, United States Code, Section 

5311). Technical assistance regarding 

these requirements is available from 

each FTA regional office. The regional 

offices will contact those applicants 

selected for funding regarding 

procedures for making the required 

certifications and assurances to FTA 

before grants are made. 

The authority for these requirements 

is provided by TEA–21, Public Law 

105–178, June 9, 1998, as amended by 

the TEA–21 Restoration Act 105–206, 

112 Stat. 685, July 22, 1998; 49 U.S.C. 

Section 5310, note; and DOT and FTA 

regulations and FTA Circulars. 

2. Buy America 

Under the OTRB Accessibility Grant 

Program, FTA’s Buy America 

regulations, 49 CFR part 661, apply to 

the incremental capital costs of making 

vehicles accessible. 

Generally, Buy America applies to all 

accessibility equipment acquired with 

FTA funds, i.e., all of the manufacturing 

processes for the product take place in 

the United States. The lift, the moveable 

seats, and the securement devices will 

each be considered components for 

purposes of this program; accordingly, 

as components, each must be 

manufactured in the United States 

regardless of the origin of its respective 

subcomponents. 

It should also be noted that FTA has 

issued a general public interest waiver 

for all purchases under the Federal 

‘‘small purchase’’ threshold, which is 

currently $100,000. (See 49 CFR 661.7, 

Appendix A (e)). Because Section 

3038(b) of TEA–21, limited FTA 

financing to the incremental capital 

costs of compliance with DOT’s OTRB 

accessibility rule, the small purchase 

waiver applies only to the incremental 

cost of the accessibility features. Where 

more than one bus is being made 

accessible, the grantee must calculate 

the incremental cost increase of the 

entire procurement when determining if 

the small purchase waiver applies. For 

example, if $30,000 is the incremental 

cost for the accessibility features eligible 

under this program per bus (regardless 

of the Federal share contribution), then 

a procurement of three buses with a 

total such cost of $90,000, would qualify 

for the small purchase waiver. No 

special application to FTA would be 

required. 

The grantee must obtain a 

certification from the bus or component 

manufacturer that all items included in 

the incremental cost for which the 

applicant is applying for funds meet 

Buy America requirements. The Buy 

America regulations can be found at 

http://www.fta.dot.gov/buyamerica. 

3. Labor Protection 

Section 3013(h) of SAFETEA–LU 

amended 49 U.S.C. Section 5311(j)(1) to 

permit the Secretary of Labor to utilize 

a special warranty that provides a fair 

and equitable arrangement to protect the 

interest of employees as set forth in 49 

U.S.C. 5333(b). Pursuant to this 

authorization, the DOL amended its 

implementing regulations at 29 CFR part 

215 (73 FR 47046, Aug. 13, 2008). On 

October 1, 2008, DOL began using a 

revised special warranty for the Section 

5311 program which is appropriate for 

use with OTRB grants. All OTRB grants 

awarded after October 1, 2008 will be 

subject to the special warranty for labor 

protective arrangements under the 

Section 5311 program, which will be 

incorporated by reference in the grant 

agreement. 

4. Planning 

Applicants are encouraged to notify 

the appropriate State Departments of 

Transportation and Metropolitan 

Planning Organizations (MPO) in areas 

likely to be served by equipment made 

accessible through funds made available 

in this program. Those organizations, in 

turn, should take appropriate steps to 

inform the public, and individuals 

requiring fully accessible services in 

particular, of operators’ intentions to 

expand the accessibility of their 

services. Incorporation of funded 

projects in the plans and transportation 

improvement programs of states and 

metropolitan areas by States and MPOs 

also is encouraged, but is not required. 

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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 83 / Monday, April 30, 2012 / Notices 25533 

1 Docket NHTSA–2011–0174 available at 

www.regulations.gov. 

5. Standard Assurances 

The Applicant assures that it will 

comply with all applicable Federal 

statutes, regulations, executive orders, 

FTA circulars, and other Federal 

administrative requirements in carrying 

out any project supported by the FTA 

grant. The Applicant acknowledges that 

it is under a continuing obligation to 

comply with the terms and conditions 

of the grant agreement issued for its 

project with FTA. The Applicant 

understands that Federal laws, 

regulations, policies, and administrative 

practices might be modified from time 

to time and affect the implementation of 

the project. The Applicant agrees that 

the most recent Federal requirements 

will apply to the project, unless FTA 

issues a written determination 

otherwise. Certifications and 

Assurances for grants to be awarded 

under this program in FY 2012 are 

included in the FTA Certifications and 

Assurances for FY 2012 which were 

published in the Federal Register of 

November 1, 2011, and made available 

for electronic signature in FTA’s grants 

system. Every applicant must submit 

Certification 01, ‘‘For Each Applicant.’’ 

Each applicant for more than $100,000 

must provide both Certification 01, and, 

02, the ‘‘Lobbying Certification.’’ 

6. Reporting 

Post-award reporting requirements 

include submission of final Federal 

Financial Report and milestone report, 

or annual reports for grants remaining 

open at the end of each Federal fiscal 

year (September 30). Documentation is 

required for payment. 

VII. Agency Contact(s) 

Contact the appropriate FTA Regional 

Office at http://www.fta.dot.gov for 

proposal-specific information and 

issues. For general program information, 

contact Blenda Younger, Office of 

Program Management, (202) 366–4345, 

email: blenda.younger@dot.gov. A TDD 

is available at 1–800–877–8339 (TDD/ 

FIRS). 

Issued in Washington, DC, this 25th day of 

April 2012. 

Peter Rogoff, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2012–10369 Filed 4–27–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

National Highway Traffic Safety 

Administration 

[Docket No. NHTSA–2012–0046] 

Agency Requests for Approval of a 

New Information Collection(s): Human 

Subjects Experiments Related to 

Keyless Ignition Controls, Gear 

Selection Controls, and Audible 

Warnings 

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic 

Safety Administration (NHTSA), 

Department of Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: The Department of 

Transportation (DOT) invites public 

comments about our intention to request 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) approval for a new information 

collection. The collection involves 

recruitment of participants, balancing 

the subject sample and debriefing 

questionnaires. The information to be 

collected will be used to balance the 

participants between younger and older 

age groups, genders and previous 

driving experience with keyless 

ignition, or lack thereof. These 

observational experiments are being 

conducted in support of current agency 

regulatory efforts that contemplate 

revising Federal Motor Vehicle Safety 

Standard No. 114 (Docket No. NHTSA– 

2011–0174 RIN 2127–AK88). We are 

required to publish this notice in the 

Federal Register by the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104– 

13. 

DATES: Written comments should be 

submitted by June 29, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

[identified by Docket No. NHTSA– 

2012–0046] through one of the 

following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the online 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Fax: 1 (202) 493–2251 

• Mail or Hand Delivery: Docket 

Management Facility, U.S. Department 

of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., West Building, Room W12– 

140, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 

a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Gayle Dalrymple, NVS–123, National 

Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, 

DC 20590. Phone: 202–366–5559. Email: 

gayle.dalrymple@dot.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

OMB Control Number: 2127-New. 

Title: Human Subjects Experiments 

Related to Keyless Ignition Controls, 

Gear Selection Controls and Audible 

Warnings. 

Form Numbers: n/a. 

Type of Review: New Information 

Collection. 

Background: NHTSA has initiated 

research and rulemaking to address 

these issues related to consumer 

confusion when using ignition systems 

in which there is no physical key: 

Inability to shut off the engine and/or 

shift to neutral during unintended 

acceleration events, leaving the vehicle 

not in ‘‘park’’ and inadvertently leaving 

the vehicle without shutting off the 

propulsion system.1 Evaluations of 

driver use of push-button start/stop 

controls and electronically shifted 

transmissions are required to support 

this rulemaking. 

Human factors observational 

experiments are proposed to examine 

these issues. The Volpe National 

Transportation Systems Center (Volpe 

Center), which is a component of the 

U.S. DOT, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration (RITA), has 

been funded to conduct this research 

under an Inter-Agency Agreement (IAA) 

with NHTSA. Under a task order 

contract with the Massachusetts 

Institute of Technology (MIT), these 

experiments will be conducted in a 

simulator at the Volpe Center by staff of 

the MIT Age Lab. The collection of 

information consists of: (1) Recruitment 

material and a brief eligibility 

questionnaire for applicants and (2) 

debriefing questionnaire for 

participants. Applicant responses to the 

eligibility questionnaire will be used to 

balance the subject sample 

demographically and between drivers 

who are naı ̈ve to keyless ignition, and 

those who are not. Subjects will be paid 

$20 to $75 depending on the required 

time commitment, and will be tested 

and debriefed individually. The purpose 

of the debriefing is to probe for insights 

into the factors that led to errors in the 

simulated driving and participant 

reactions to mitigation measures such as 

audible alarms. 

Respondents: The Age Lab has 

conducted numerous experiments 

related to driving instrumented research 

vehicles and simulators, and has a panel 

of more than 7,000 persons in the 

Boston area who have indicated they 

would like to be participants in future 

experiments. Whenever the Age Lab has 

a new experiment, an email blast is sent 

to all members of this panel. The email 

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