Upcoming Spring Transit Workshop 2026
- Spring Transit Workshop 2026
May 5, 2026 - May 7, 2026
1:00 pm - 12:00 pm
This year’s workshop has a special focus on service planning — along with sessions to help you streamline your operations and information about helpful resources like mobility managers.
The draft agenda and session details have been published below. The break times, session descriptions and titles are subject to minor changes, but the sessions should stay on the same days so you can plan who to attend from your agencies.
On Day 3, we have a special interactive training session on De-Escalation Tips & Tricks. This mini-workshop will also provide you with resources you can bring back to your agencies. We strongly encourage you to plan to stay for this session!
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Reserve your hotel room and spot at the workshop today! Hotel blocks have been extended to March 31!
Hotel: Residence Inn
Booking Link: Book your group rate for MnDot Spring Workshop
Arrival/ Departure Dates: Monday, May 04 (Please note that you may change this date to Tuesday May 05, 2026 if you do not need to arrive on Monday evening)/Thursday, May 07, 2026
Block Cutoff Date: March 31, 2026
Hotel: Hilton Garden Inn St. Cloud
Booking Link: https://group.hiltongardeninn.com/xtlt91
Arrival/ Departure Dates: Monday, May 04 (Please note that you may change this date to Tuesday May 05, 2026 if you do not need to arrive on Monday evening)/Thursday, May 07, 2026
Block Cutoff Date: March 31, 2026
Guests can also call the hotel directly at 320-640-7990 and use GROUP CODE: 906 to get the same discounted rooms!
If you have any accessibility needs or dietary requirements, please contact jaycie.kratky@drbteam.com.
| Spring Transit Workshop Draft Agenda | |||||
| Last Updated 3/25/2026 | |||||
| Day 1 (Tuesday, May 5) | Day 2 (Wednesday, May 6) | Day 3 (Thursday, May 7) | |||
| 7:45–8 | -breakfast, registration, and networking- | -breakfast and networking- | |||
| 8-8:15 |
Introductions & Welcome
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Welcome, Regroup, Questions,
and Puzzle Picture Activity |
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| 8:15-8:30 | |||||
| 8:30-8:45 |
Cost-Saving Tips & Tricks
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You Can Have It Both Ways: How Transit Technology Can Improve Customer and Operator Experience
|
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| 8:45-9 | |||||
| 9-9:15 | |||||
| 9:15-9:30 | |||||
| 9:30-9:45 | -break- |
MPTA Legislative Agenda
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| 9:45-10 |
Transit Superlatives
|
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| 10-10:15 | -break- | ||||
| 10:15-10:30 |
Staff Wages/Benefits Small Group Discussion/Panel
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De-Escalation Tips & Tricks
|
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| 10:30-10:45 | |||||
| 10:45-11 | |||||
| 11-11:15 | -Puzzle Picture Activity- | ||||
| 11:15-11:30 | RTAP Information | ||||
| 11:30-11:45 |
-lunch-
|
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| 11:45-12 | |||||
| 12-12:15 | |||||
| 12:15-12:30 |
Service Planning Roll-Out
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Closing Remarks | |||
| 12:30-12:45 |
Registration & Networking
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| 12:45-1 | |||||
| 1-1:15 |
Introductions & Welcome
|
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| 1:15-1:30 | |||||
| 1:30-1:45 |
Presentation and Deep Dive on the 2027 Rural/Urbanized Operating Grant (Includes Webinar)
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| 1:45-2 | |||||
| 2-2:15 | |||||
| 2:15-2:30 | -break- | -break- | |||
| 2:30-2:45 |
Presentation and Deep Dive on the 2027 Rural/Urbanized Operating Grant (Includes Webinar)
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Publishing Your Service
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| 2:45-3 | |||||
| 3-3:15 |
Mobility Management Shuffle
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| 3:15-3:30 | -Puzzle Picture Activity- | ||||
| 3:30-3:45 |
Federal Fund Braiding
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| 3:45-4 | |||||
| 4-4:15 |
Jeopardy & Closing Announcements (including dinner plans)
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| 4:15-4:30 | |||||
| 4:30-4:45 | -travel time for tours- | ||||
| 4:45-5 |
Hold for Tours of St. Cloud Metro Bus Mobility Training Center and CNG Fueling Facility (4:45, 5:15)
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| 5-5:15 | Dinner Plan Organizing | ||||
| 5-5:30 | |||||
| 5:30-5:45 | |||||
| Session Title & Description | Presenter(s) | Session Length |
| MPTA Legislative Update | Margaret Donahoe, MPTA | 30 min. |
| De-Escalation Tips & Tricks | The De-Escalation Team | 2 hrs. |
| Publishing Your Service | Cathleen Amick & Jean Meyer | 30 min. |
| Mobility Management Shuffle How Mobility Managers (RTCCs and TCAPs) can help transit agencies. |
Tammi Hagen, Tony Klaers, Alan Herrmann, Terry Smith |
1 hr. |
| You Can Have It Both Ways: How Transit Technology Can Improve Customer and Operator Experience For many transit professionals, technology can feel like one more thing on an already full plate. With limited staff capacity and competing priorities, finding time to learn new tools can be an intimidating task—and sometimes it feels like more work than it’s worth. Meanwhile, riders increasingly expect real-time information and seamless connections in a world where everything else is just a tap away. The good news? The transit technology that you’re already investing in can be thoughtfully paired with future investments to meet these expectations while saving time and reducing complexity for operators. This workshop explores how interoperable, standardized data and emerging solutions can support both operators and travelers.Join us to discuss how the operational and informational technology that you are already investing in (AVL, APC, dispatch/routing software, websites and mobile applications) can do more than you even thought, and how GTFS, GTFS-Flex, and other data standards enable interoperability across systems, reduce duplication, and support innovation, so that no matter what vendor you might have now or have in the future, you won’t be locked into increasing costs because open-source data gives you flexibility now and in the future.Whether you’re focused on improving trip planning, streamlining operations, or preparing for future mobility trends, this session will provide practical strategies and real-world examples of how technology can make transit more efficient, equitable, and rider-friendly—without sacrificing operator needs.Key Takeaways: +Practical steps to improve both customer and operator experience through technology. +How standardized data unlocks interoperability and innovation. +Minnesota’s Mobility as a Service effort: goals, progress, and lessons learnedCommunicating to customers about using new technology (trip planning, booking, and payment) |
Kristina Heggedal & Kathy Schultz | 1 hr. |
| Service Planning Roll-Out | Matti Gurney & Ben Tomhave | 2 hrs. |
| Presentation and Deep Dive on the 2027 Rural/Urbanized Operating Grant Melinda Estey will walk through the Solicitation Instructions and highlight key changes an applicant must understand. The presentation will include a deep dive into the documents, forms, templates, and guides that comprise this solicitation, focusing on changes from prior solicitations. Finally, we expect to have time for questions. A formal written response will be posted online.This session will be recorded and posted online as well. |
Melinda Estey & Glenn Gadbois | 90 min. |
| Staff Wages/Benefits Small Group Discussion/Panel | TBD | 45 min. |
| Federal Fund Braiding | Kelly Shawn (CTAA) | 90 min. |
| Jeopardy | n/a | 30 min. |
| Cost Saving Tips & Tricks | Randy Jahnke & Tina Neary | 1 hr. |
| RTAP Information | Cathleen Amick, Jaycie Kratky, and Mariah Kathan | 15 min. |
| Puzzle Picture Activity | Matti Gurney | n/a |
| Tours of St. Cloud Metro Bus Mobility Training Center and CNG Fueling Facility | Off-Site at St. Cloud Metro Bus | after sessions |
Venue: Park Event Center
Venue Website: https://theparkeventcenter.com/
Address:Login to request a different date or venue for this course — or request a new course entirely.