Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is a public financing method that some local governments and transportation agencies may use to capture a portion of additional property (or sales) tax revenues that result when public investments cause property values (or total sales revenues) to increase. TIF is an increasingly important source of funds for transportation projects, and it has the potential to be a key part of project financing. The TRB Transit Cooperative Research Program's TCRP Legal Research Digest 55: T...

TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Legal Research Digest 54: Impacts of the Americans with Disabilities Act on Transit Agency Liability explores the types of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements and legal claims against transit agencies. The ADA has transformed U.S. transit agencies, which now have sophis­ticated programs to address a wide variety of accessibility  goals in such areas as the design of transit stations, bus and rail vehicle design, media stop announcement...

TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Legal Research Digest 53: Legal Considerations in Relationships Between Transit Agencies and Ridesourcing Service Providers explores the efforts made by public transit agencies to provide on-demand services to the public. It also provides transit agencies with legal guidance for considering whether to enter into relationships with ridesourcing service providers (RSPs). The report includes a description of ridesourcing services in the United States, state ...

TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Legal Research Digest 52: Legal Implications of Video Surveillance on Transit Systems explores the use of video surveilance systems on buses, trains, and stations. The widespread use of such video surveillance systems has generated numerous legal issues, such as a system’s ability to utilize video to discipline union and non-union employees, safety issues associated with such use, public access to such video, and retention policies regarding video, among ...

TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Legal Research Digest 51: Technology Contracting for Transit Projects examines issues that transit attorneys should be aware of when drafting technology contracts. It addresses how provisions differ depending on the nature of the contract, the type of technology being procured, and whether the system is controlled internally or externally by the agency. Specific focus is given to cloud computing as an alternative delivery mode, and indemnification. This d...

TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Legal Research Digest 50: Public Transit Emergency Preparedness Against Ebola and Other Infectious Diseases: Legal Issues examines responses to infectious disease epidemics and identifies legal issues that may be confronted by transit agencies. It considers federal and state laws and available court decisions affecting transit agencies’ responses to infectious disease outbreaks, including potential cohesiveness among transit agencies’ procedures and feder...

TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Legal Research Digest 49: Updated Guide to Buy America Requirements—2015 Supplement examines various statutory and regulatory Buy America requirements that a state or local governmental entity must examine when receiving funds for a public transportation project from one or more USDOT agencies. The purpose of this Legal Research Digest is to update the earlier TRB legal research to provide a comprehensive and current summary of the FTA Buy America provisi...

TRB's Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Legal Research Digest (LRD) 48: Legal Issues Concerning Transit Agency Use of Electronic Customer Data explores the advantages, disadvantages, risks, and benefits for transit agencies moving to electronic, cloudbased, and other computerized systems for fare purchases and for communicating with customers. “Smart” fare cards are now commonplace, and private businesses and transit agencies are using or planning to use smartphones, smart cards and credit card...

TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Legal Research Digest 47: Legal Issues with Obtaining Insurance for Large Transit Projects identifies and discusses in detail the legal issues confronting transit agencies seeking to obtain insurance for large transit capital projects. The report covers different types of insurance coverage required for large projects and the types of programs available, including Owner Controlled Insurance Programs and owner’s protective professional indemnity insurance....

TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Legal Research Digest 46: How the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Other Privacy Laws Affect Public Transportation Operations explores whether the privacy and security rules established by HIPAA apply to transit agencies that possess patrons’ health information. The first seven sections of this digest discuss HIPAA and whether various entities are subject to HIPAA’s privacy and security provisions applicable to the protectio...