Authorized in June 1998 by the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), the FTA International Public Transportation Program (IPTP) helps the U.S. transit industry access international markets and furthers the improvement of U.S. transit by highlighting overseas innovations. Priority activities of the IPTP are:
Trade Promotion
To improve U.S. transit industry global competitiveness, the IPTP partners with the transit industry and conducts trade missions, reverse trade missions and market research.
International Public Transit Tenders
To inform U.S. transit manufacturers and suppliers about current international contract opportunities, the IPTP compiles and publishes its International Public Transit Tenders List twice a month.
Most transit tenders listed on the Current International Public Transit Tenders page now use the nomenclature numbers listed in the European Union's Common Purchasing Vocabulary (CPV). Here you can input either the numbers listed in the tenders announcement to get at the nomenclature of the item, or search for the CPV numbers of transit equipment by typing in their names.
Technology Transfer
To create a two-way exchange of knowledge, best practices and innovations between the U.S. and abroad, the IPTP participates in international conferences, technical workshops and standards working groups.
Human Capacity Building
To share global knowledge, experience and best practices that improve efficiency and service quality here and abroad, the IPTP coordinates training programs for U.S. and foreign transit professionals.
Additional FTA Resources
See IPTP’s Accessing the Global Marketplace: A Resource Guide for the Transit Industry to tap available government and private sector export assistance.
Past Programs