CASTA is pleased to administer the Rural Transit Assistance Program (RTAP) in Colorado on behalf of the Colorado Department of Transportation – Division of Transit and Rail. The program provides professional development, training and technical assistance to transit professionals working for rural and specialized transit agencies, including regional trainings, the annual training conference bi-weekly electronic newsletter, training material distribution and targeted technical assistance for individual agencies. The RTAP program also provides scholarship assistance for employees of rural and specialized agencies.

RTAP Scholarship Interest Meeting (June 27, 2023)

In 2020, the RTAP Advisory Committee developed the COLORADO RURAL TRANSIT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM policy to more efficiently administer scholarship funding. You can read the policy here.

  • Applicant Eligibility: Public and non-profit organizations that provide rural or specialized transportation services, including organizations that receive or are eligible to apply for Federal Transit Administration Section 5310 and Section 5311 current year funds, and other organizations that provide transportation services in rural areas are eligible to apply for and receive funding through the CO RTAP Scholarship Program.
  • Expense Eligibility: Organizations can apply for as many, or as few, programs as they wish, although the goal is to provide funding to as many agencies as possible. CASTA may decline to award a request or amend the award amount for scholarship funding to an agency if it is determined that the agency has already received appropriate support through the RTAP Scholarship Program.
  • Scholarship Reimbursement: Procedures can be found at the bottom of the application.

If there are any questions about the changes to the CO RTAP Scholarship Program, please contact the Program Director, Joseph Parks at [email protected]


Application Procedures

  1. To apply for a scholarship, applicants shall submit a completed RTAP Scholarship Application form. This form is found at the end of this section.
  2. The applicant will provide an agenda or brochure describing the program to be attended in the RTAP Scholarship Application form. The form below has the ability to attach documents.
  3. All requests for RTAP Scholarship Funding will be submitted no later than 2 weeks (14-days) prior to the event for which funding is being requested.

Application Review

  1. All applications will be reviewed for organization eligibility and program applicability.
  2. The individual submitting the application will be contacted if additional information is needed.
  3. Individuals will be notified in writing, by email of the approval. All scholarship applications and payments are subject to final review by CASTA Staff and may be deemed ineligible during the application process.
  4. Applicants will be notified of the application status within two weeks of receipt of the application. Applicants that submit an application at or within two weeks of the event may not receive notification of the status of their application until after the date of the event.

Apply Here


Scholarship Reimbursement

  1. Reimbursement for expenses will be made to the organization after receipt of Scholarship Reimbursement Request form.
  2. Scholarship recipients attending CASTA conferences and courses may be asked to prepare a CASTA In Transit newsletter article based upon a specific conference session attended. Specific requests will be discussed with applicants and described in the Scholarship approval letter.
  3. Scholarship reimbursement payments will be made within 30 days of receipt of the Summary Report and copies of receipts for all reimbursable expenses.

RTAP Scholarship Funds are Federal Transit Administration Section 5311 funds and should be recorded accordingly in financial reporting. Expenses must comply with 2 CFR 200 Subpart E as allowable costs.

Request Scholarship Reimbursement Here