Transit Asset Management
Managing Transit Assets
Public transportation provides millions of Americans with daily access to jobs, schools, health care and essential services. Through research done to inform its 24th edition of the Conditions and Performance Report, U.S. DOT has found that as of 2016, an estimated 21 percent of buses and 10 percent of rail transit assets are in marginal or poor condition, with a backlog of $105.1 billion in deferred maintenance and replacement.
U.S. DOT publishes Conditions and Performance Reports on the status of the nation's highways, bridges, and transit.
- See the previous editions of U.S. DOT Conditions & Performance Report
The TAM webpage is designed to support successful agency implementation of Transit Asset Management. This website contains background information, requirements and deadlines, technical assistance, and examples of best practices. It also includes materials such as official FTA guidance, resources from webinars and roundtables, and external stakeholder information to assist agencies in asset inventory creation, resource management, and target setting. A list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) is also provided to address remaining questions not addressed by available webpage resources.
Featured Resources
| Type | Title and Description |
|---|---|
 |
2023 TAM Program Evaluation: Multi-Year TAM Program Evaluation Overview - June 2023 This report summarizes the gaps, opportunities, and lessons learned from the deployment of the TAM Rule. |
 |
2022 TAM Data Summary: A Snapshot of Asset-Related Data Reported to the National Transit Database - March 2024 This report summarizes data that transit agencies reported to the National Transit Database (NTD), providing an inventory and assessment of the condition of assets used to provide transit service nationally. This report provides a snapshot of data submitted for Report Year 2022, with some references and comparisons to data submitted in previous Report Years. Report Year 2018 was the first year in which transit agencies reported this information on transit assets, in accordance with the requirements of the Transit Asset Management (TAM) rule (49 CFR 625). |
|
TAMPLATE User Guide - April 2022 The TAMPLATE User Manual is a companion document that walks you through each section of TAMPLATE to generate a TAM plan. In general, personnel who are knowledgeable about your organization’s assets and responsible for asset management processes (e.g., procurement, maintenance, compliance, etc.) are best positioned to complete a TAM plan. |
|
2022 Group Plan Sponsor Workbook - February 2022 This document provides a consolidated list of activities, considerations, suggestions, and best practices related to group Transit Asset Management (TAM) plans to assist group plan sponsors in developing group plans. Please note that this document is not official guidance. |
 |
NTD Narrative Report Example Format - February 2021 This resource is intended to support agencies with developing their narrative report by providing prompts for information that could be useful for inclusion in their own report. |
 |
TAM Systems Handbook - September 2020 This handbook is intended to expand upon and provide general information and guidance on the management of systems and associated assets used in the transit operating environment in support of the TAM rule. |
|
TAMPLATE - March 2022 This technical assistance tool is designed to assist Tier I and Tier II transit providers and Group TAM Plan Sponsors in developing their TAM Plans. |
|
Asset Management Guide Supplement: Asset Category Overviews & Lifecycle Management - Update (FTA 0138) - September 2019 This report update provides detailed information about asset category organization and current lifecycle management practices. |
|
TAM Executive Training Template for Agency Use - September 2018 This customizable presentation supports transit professionals in communicating the value of TAM to executives. |
|
Tribal Reporting Tool [BETA] - September 2018 This Excel tool provides tribes with a template for reporting agency information and completing the required asset inventory, condition assessment, and agency targets. |
Visit the TAM Resource Table for a full list of available TAM resources.
To keep up to date on information related to the TAM rulemaking and implementation, subscribe to TAMNews as part of FTA's email updates.
Last updated April 29, 2022