RLS & Associates

What RLS & Associates does

RLS & Associates, Inc. is a privately held, woman-owned transit consulting firm founded in 1987 by Robbie Sarles and headquartered at 3131 S. Dixie Drive, Suite 545, Dayton, Ohio. The firm provides training, technical assistance, and transportation management and operations consulting services to small, medium, and large public transit systems, federal and state departments of transportation, government agencies, and paratransit operators throughout the United States. Service delivery spans ten major areas of expertise: civil rights, coordination and mobility management, drug and alcohol regulations, financial management and cost allocation, regulatory compliance, service evaluation and planning, surveys and data collection, state DOT assistance, training and technical assistance, and transit agency technical assistance and training. RLS also manages multiple state Rural Transit Assistance Programs (Indiana RTAP, NCRTAP, and others) and serves as a Federal Transit Administration CORTAP reviewer.

The firm monetizes through professional services contracts, awarded both competitively and via long-standing relationships, with billing tied to project scope and multi-year engagements. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. GTM is direct enterprise field sales to public-sector buyers; RLS has approximately 40 staff distributed across Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Arkansas, Virginia, Vermont, and Washington, DC, including embedded personnel working on-site at state DOTs (GDOT, Ohio DOT) and operates the BlackCat database for DOT liaison work alongside ArcGIS-based survey and data collection capabilities. Key customers include FTA, NCDOT, GDOT, Indiana DOT, and numerous other state DOTs across 17+ states, with client relationships spanning over 35 years.

The business model is anchored by WOSB certification, which provides access to set-aside federal contracting vehicles, and is reinforced by deep institutional relationships with FTA, the National Rural Transit Assistance Program, the Community Transportation Association of America, and the National Transit Institute. Staff are predominantly former transit managers and state DOT program administrators, supporting a delivery model built on regulatory expertise, multi-decade institutional knowledge, and recurring program management engagements rather than on packaged software products or AI-enabled tooling.

Name

RLS & Associates

Legal name

RLS & Associates, Inc.

Website

https://rlsandassoc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

10,001+ employees

Short description

RLS & Associates is a woman-owned transit consulting firm founded in 1987 that provides training, technical assistance, and transportation management consulting to public transit systems, federal and state DOTs, and paratransit operators across the United States, with approximately 40 staff across 9+ state offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Transportation Management & Operations Consulting

NAICS

Process, Physical Distribution, and Logistics Consulting Services (541614), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Transportation & Traffic Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Employer/Corporate Demand-Responsive Shuttles (THAIAHAG)

Keywords

• Public transit consulting
• Transportation management consulting
• Regulatory compliance services
• Transit training programs
• Paratransit operations consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Transportation Consulting Services: RLS provides consulting services to small, medium, and large public transit systems, federal and state departments of transportation, government agencies, and paratransit operators. Projects include feasibility studies, compliance reviews, technical assistance, training programs, and planning engagements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RLS & Associates provides transportation management and operations consulting, training, and technical assistance to small, medium, and large public transit systems, federal and state departments of transportation, government agencies, and paratransit operators throughout the United States. Its work spans ten specialized expertise areas (civil rights, coordination and mobility management, drug and alcohol regulations, financial management, regulatory compliance, service evaluation and planning, surveys and data collection, state DOT assistance, training and technical assistance, and transit agency technical assistance). The firm also operates state Rural Transit Assistance Programs (RTAP) and serves as an authorized FTA CORTAP reviewer.

Product overview

RLS & Associates is a woman-owned transportation consulting firm that offers a unified suite of consulting services rather than a software product. The core offering is Transportation Management & Operations Consulting Services, supported by ten specialized service areas (Civil Rights, Coordination & Mobility Management, Drug & Alcohol Regulations, Financial Management & Cost Allocation, Regulatory Compliance, Service Evaluation & Planning, State DOT Assistance, State/Local Training & Technical Assistance, Transit Agency Technical Assistance & Training, and Surveys & Data Collection). The firm also manages State RTAP Programs (Indiana RTAP, NCRTAP, and others), participates in the FTA CORTAP program, and delivers RLS Training Programs through classrooms and webinars. The services are professional consulting engagements, not packaged software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Transportation Management & Operations Consulting Services Unified consulting offering that delivers training, technical assistance, and transportation management and operations consulting to small, medium, and large public transit systems, federal and state departments of transportation, government agencies, and paratransit operators throughout the United States.
• Civil Rights Consulting Expertise in civil rights compliance and regulations for transit systems, including Title VI, DBE, and related federal civil rights requirements.
• Coordination Planning & Mobility Management Coordination and mobility management services for transit systems and human service agencies, focused on community transportation coordination and mobility management.
• Drug & Alcohol Regulations Consulting Compliance and technical assistance for FTA drug and alcohol program requirements, including over 800 annual and quarterly federal/state compliance and policy reviews across multiple states.
• Financial Management & Cost Allocation Financial management consulting and cost allocation services for transit agencies, including budget development, grants management, and cost-allocation analyses.
• Regulatory Compliance Consulting Regulatory compliance assistance for federal, state, and local transit requirements, including congressionally mandated Section 5307 recipient reviews and Section 5310/5311 subrecipient reviews.
• Service Evaluation & Planning Transit service evaluation and planning services for system improvement, including feasibility studies and multi-year transportation development plans.
• State DOT Assistance Technical assistance and support services for state Departments of Transportation, including embedded staff, compliance reviews, training, and grant/contract administration.
• State/Local Training & Technical Assistance Training programs and technical assistance delivered at national, state, and local levels for transit agencies, state DOTs, and rural transit providers.
• Transit Agency Technical Assistance & Training Comprehensive technical assistance and training services for transit agencies, covering board training, business continuity planning, emergency management, policies and procedures, operations analysis, organizational assessment, procurement, contract management, project management, safety and security, scheduling and dispatching, and service design.
• Surveys & Data Collection Transit surveys and data collection services for planning and evaluation, supported by in-house GIS (ArcGIS) capabilities for mapping and spatial analysis.
• State RTAP Programs Managed operation of state Rural Transit Assistance Programs (RTAP) for multiple states, including the Indiana RTAP (recognized as FTA Outstanding State RTAP Program), North Carolina NCRTAP, New Hampshire RTAP, Massachusetts RTAP, Tennessee RTAP, and Wisconsin RTAP.
• CORTAP (Comprehensive Oversight Review and Technical Assistance Program) Federal Transit Administration task order review program in which RLS acts as an authorized FTA reviewer conducting oversight reviews in specific FTA regions and providing remote corrective action technical assistance to FTA.
• RLS Training Programs RLS-branded transit industry training programs, including FTA Drug and Alcohol training, civil rights, Americans with Disabilities regulations, RTAP Training, and 2 CFR 200 compliance, delivered through classrooms and webinars.

Quantifiable outcome

• Indiana RTAP Program recognized as Outstanding State RTAP Program by FTA
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Federal Transit Administration (FTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRLS serves as FTA CORTAP reviewers and provides technical assistance to FTA through corrective action support. The company has provided input into FTA's safety and security guidelines development process and developed the Transit Bus System Safety Course for FTA's Transportation Safety Institute.
• National Rural Transit Assistance Program (National RTAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRLS staff contribute to National RTAP through curriculum development, trainer certification, and program support. RLS staff updated the financial management curriculum for National RTAP.
• Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRLS staff present at CTAA conferences, contribute to national research publications, and participate in CTAA certification programs including Safety and Security Officer training.
• National Transit InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRLS staff including Russ Parish serve as senior instructors with the National Transit Institute, leading courses throughout the country on safety and security.
• State Departments of Transportation (Multiple States)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRLS provides RTAP program management, compliance monitoring, technical assistance, and training to state DOTs including Indiana, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Oregon, Illinois, Georgia, California, Maine, Nevada, West Virginia, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Texas.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates: Specialist transportation consulting firm focused on public transit planning, multimodal access, and mobility management for transit agencies. Directly comparable to RLS in serving small/medium transit systems, state DOTs, and paratransit operators with planning, operations, and policy consulting.
• Cambridge Systematics: Transportation-focused consulting firm serving state DOTs, transit agencies, and federal clients with planning, policy, and operations expertise. Closely comparable to RLS in transit consulting focus, federal/state contract base, and emphasis on regulatory and funding program work.
• Kittelson & Associates: Transportation engineering and planning consultancy serving public agencies on transit operations, traffic engineering, and multimodal planning. Comparable to RLS in serving state DOTs and transit systems with technical assistance, planning, and operations support.
• Tindale-Oliver & Associates: Transit and transportation planning consultancy focused on public transit agencies, paratransit, and FDOT transit programs. Directly comparable to RLS in niche transit consulting, paratransit expertise, and state DOT program management work.
• LSC Transportation Consultants: Specialty transit planning and operations consulting firm serving small urban and rural transit systems, paratransit operators, and state DOTs. Directly comparable to RLS's focus on small/medium transit systems, RTAP-style work, and rural/urban transit planning.

Broad incumbents

• WSP USA: Large global engineering and professional services firm with a substantial transit and rail practice. Competes with RLS on state DOT and transit agency contracts but offers much broader multi-disciplinary capabilities and scale.
• HDR Inc. Global engineering, architecture, and consulting firm with a large transit practice serving agencies nationwide. Competes with RLS on major state DOT and transit agency engagements, especially multi-disciplinary planning and design work.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with one of the largest transit and rail practices in the U.S. Overlaps with RLS on transit planning, operations, and federal/state DOT engagements but operates at significantly greater scale.
• ICF International: Professional services firm with a transportation practice serving federal, state, and local clients. Comparable to RLS in transit and federal contract expertise but offers broader advisory, analytics, and program management capabilities.

Others

• Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA): National non-profit association that supports small urban, rural, and community transit providers through training, certification, and technical assistance. RLS staff actively present and participate in CTAA programs, making it an ecosystem peer rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RLSandAssociates
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1241

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about RLS & Associates