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Mobility Conference Call for Abstracts

APTA’s Mobility Conference addresses the critical priorities and challenges facing bus and paratransit systems and explores the changing environment in which systems operate in today’s mobility landscape. As APTA members, you are an integral part of the call for abstracts. This is an opportunity for you to be part of the educational program and share your expertise and skill set with your peers in the industry.

Please Note: we are seeking individual speaker submissions only – not full panel ideas, at this time. Please craft your abstract around you and/or a partner presentation, not a full panel of a moderator and several speakers. Your submission will be paired with our similar submissions to curate a well-rounded session.

Our internal subject matter experts have developed the session topics below based on extensive feedback from committee meetings, survey results, and one-on-one member conversations. Once submissions are reviewed by a committee of members and staff; staff will begin extending invitations to those who were selected based on their experience and partnerships that are aligned with the program.

We appreciate your interest in participating at our upcoming event. If you have more questions about this process, please email abstracts@apta.com . If you need to edit/update a submitted abstract, log into the Abstract Service Center.  Your login credential can be found in your confirmation email.

Deadline to Submit: Monday, January 4, 2027 at 11:59 pm ET

Online Submission Portal

Submission Details:

  • You MUST be an APTA member in good standing to submit abstracts.
  • Submit abstracts separately.
  • Do not submit duplicate abstracts under different topics. Select the topic closest to your main ideas.
  • Do not submit preselected full panel abstracts.
  • Be sure to add ALL proposed speakers (you and a partner, if it’s a joint presentation)
  • APTA will communicate with the submitter for all notifications and deadlines, who must share information as needed with speaker(s)
  • Submissions should avoid being a sales pitch or overly commercial
  • All proposals must be submitted using the online form, to be considered
  • Be concise when submitting your abstract (350 words max). If possible, highlight the top 3 takeaways that the audience will take away and any “actionable” items.
  • Submissions should reflect innovative, cutting-edge content
  • APTA will confirm if your submission has been accepted as a speaker on a panel or other opportunity
  • Submitters may submit multiple abstracts but will only have one opportunity to speak, if selected
  • Session topics are subject to change, depending on volume and quality of submissions received.
  • After careful review, all submitters will receive an official notification by email.
  • If selected, your submission will be paired with other similar submissions to curate a well-rounded session. APTA sessions are typically 60 minutes long consisting of a 45- minute presentation and 15-minute Q&A. So, each speaker or both co-speakers jointly will have approximately 10 to 12 minutes of presentation time on average.
  • If selected, speakers are encouraged to support the event by registering. APTA does not cover registration, hotel or other expenses for speakers.
  • Submissions are not automatically accepted, and APTA reserves the right to make all final decisions on speaker selections.
  • Notifications will be sent out around mid to late February.

Submission Topics

  • Accessibility – Areas of Focus: Creating an Accessible and Seamless Rider Experience (trip planning, customer information, dispatch, real-time information, first/last mile, and rider-focused features); Advancing Accessible Transit Design, Partnerships and Practices
  • Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) – Areas of Focus: Planning (Funding & Project Delivery); Design (Bus lanes/Running Ways and Management); Operating and Managing BRT
  • Bus Service and Operations – Areas of Focus: Operations best practices; adapting AI to operations; operations funding; bus stops and shelters enhancements; ridership changes
  • Capital Projects
  • Emergency Management
  • Fare Collection Systems – Areas of Focus: Next-generation fare payments; open-loop and account-based systems; regional interoperability; fare evasion, fraud, and revenue protection; fare policy and analytics; customer experience and equitable access; cybersecurity and privacy; system modernization; changing travel patterns; and integrated payments across transit, microtransit, and other mobility services.
  • Funding – Areas of Focus: New sources of state and local funding
  • Innovative & Strategic Engagement – Areas of focus Innovative and strategic ways to engage small businesses; innovative and strategic ways to engage the community; innovative and strategic ways to engage your board; innovative and strategic political partnerships; innovative and strategic staff engagement
  • Mobility – Areas of Focus: Coordinated Transportation in Rural Areas and Smaller Towns, Cost Containment Strategies for Bus and BRT, Maximizing Off-peak and Weekend Ridership, Mobility Ecosystem (ex. First and last mile; Integrated mobility; Traffic management
  • Paratransit – Areas of Focus: Expanding Mobility Options and Supporting Rider Independence (travel training, conditional eligibility, and connections with community partners); Modernizing Paratransit Service Delivery (efficiency, emerging practices, lessons learned and innovation)
  • Planning – Areas of Focus: Transit Asset Management, Transit-Oriented Communities, Transit Scheduling (ex. headway management)
  • Procurement – Areas of Focus: Bus procurement modernization; risk sharing; reduced customization; Areas of Focus, Federal requirements; bus procurement modernization, risk sharing, and reduced customization; manufacturer and supplier health; supply-chain resilience; emerging technology procurement; contracting language and lifecycle costs; interoperability and cybersecurity; tariffs, innovative vendor partnerships; and strategies that increase competition, reduce costs, accelerate delivery, and strengthen the transit supply ecosystem.
  • Safety – Areas of Focus: AI & Safety, Fatigue Management & Fitness for Duty, Occupational Health & Safety and Industrial Hygiene, Transit Worker & Operator Assaults, Safety Management Systems, Hazard Identification, PTASP, Bus Collisions
  • Security – Areas of Focus: cyber security, human trafficking awareness, mega events, efficient and clean transit; Cybersecurity (privacy, inter-agency data sharing, Cyber Resilience and Data Governance)
  • Strategic Engagement – Areas of focus: Highlight innovative strategies, tools, and best practices to strengthen engagement, foster collaboration, and build meaningful partnerships across organizations and throughout the industry; Share resources, approaches, and strategies to amplify the perspectives, experiences, and voices that advance the success of industry projects and initiatives.
  • Sustainability & Resilience
  • Technology – Areas of Focus: Super Intelligence/AI and automation; connected and autonomous vehicles; fleet and zero-emission technologies; data governance and interoperability; digital twins and IoT; passenger information and accessibility; cybersecurity and resilience; predictive maintenance; technology modernization; workforce readiness; and innovations that improve customer experience, operational efficiency, and financial performance.
  • Vehicle Maintenance and Facilities – Areas of Focus: mixed fuel fleets; fuel cell & hydrogen maintenance; predictive maintenance; and maintenance training
  • Workforce Development – Areas of Workforce: Workforce morale and retention, aging workforce and paratransit solutions, Frontline worker upskilling; diversity
  • Zero Or Low Emission Bus – Areas of Focus: Operations and planning esp charge management, route planning, real-world performance; utilities, energy, and resilience; battery and hydrogen infrastructure deployment, management and facility upgrades; total cost of ownership; change management; adapting to funding and supply constraints; fire prevention and mitigation

Please use the online Submission Portal to submit your abstract.