49 CFR Part 655 (Prevention of Alcohol Misuse and Prohibited Drug Use in Transit Operations) was finalized and published in the Federal Register on August 9. This new regulation combines and replaces 49 CFR Parts 653 and 654 which were originally issued in 1994. The new regulation incorporates all of the interpretations that have been made to the original regulation since that time.

FTA will be issuing new sample substance abuse policies and implementation guidelines as supplemental materials. ODOT will distribute these materials to the rural transit systems as soon as they are available.