APTA | Passenger Transport
January 4, 2010

In This Issue
» NEWS HEADLINES
» TELLING OUR STORY
» AROUND THE INDUSTRY
» APTA NEWS
» COMMENTARY

Check this week's classifieds to learn about Help Wanted positions, including one Executive Director and one Executive Director, Operations!


Also, be sure to watch for Passenger Transport's next issue, which will focus on 2010: The Year Ahead!

NEWS HEADLINES

Sound Transit Welcomes Light Rail Service to SeaTac Airport

Just five months after the introduction of service on Central Link light rail, Sound Transit in Seattle extended the original 14-mile line by 1.7 miles on Dec. 19. The new Airport Link connects the former terminus at Tukwila International Boulevard Station to the new SeaTac/Airport Station, providing direct access to SeaTac International Airport. [More]



Banta Is New CEO for Valley Metro Rail

Valley Metro Rail, operator of METRO light rail in Phoenix, has named Stephen R. Banta as its next chief executive officer, effective Jan. 20, 2010. He succeeds Rick Simonetta, who stepped down Dec. 31, 2009, after six years of service. [More]



LAVTA Takes First Step Toward Future BRT

The Livermore Amador Valley Transit Authority (LAVTA) in Livermore, CA, recently broke ground on its first Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route, Tri-Valley Rapid. Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA) joined the LAVTA Board of Directors, staff, and project team members at the event. [More]



Bloomington-Normal Breaks Ground for New Facility

The Bloomington-Normal Public Transit System (B-NPTS) in Bloomington, IL, recently broke ground for a new administrative facility and garage on a 10-acre lot on the boundary line between the two cities, with an adjacent seven acres to be purchased to allow for future expansion. [More]



Webinar Provides ARRA Reporting Guidance for FTA Grant Recipients

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is conducting a webinar Jan. 7 to provide recipients of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grants from FTA with guidance and technical assistance to enable them to comply with the reporting requirements under ARRA Section 1512. [More]



Bess Lomax Hawes Dies; Co-Author of ‘MTA’ Song

The co-writer of the famed “MTA” song, Bess Lomax Hawes, died in Portland, OR, after a stroke. She was 88. [More]


TELLING OUR STORY

VTA’s Commitment to Mutual Aid
BY LINH HOANG, Public Relations Supervisor, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, San Jose, CA

The term mutual aid refers to county and local governmental agencies across the nation that assist one other during emergencies. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is one of Santa Clara County’s first responders and, as the region’s transportation provider, provides mutual aid.

Almost as important to VTA as actually providing mutual aid is ensuring that its stakeholders know that doing so is one of its primary duties. VTA understands the need to “tell its story” by informing the communities and populations it serves of the role it plays during emergency situations. [More]



‘Tell Your Story’ to Members of Congress

During the holiday Congressional recess, APTA members have an opportunity to make sure their members of Congress understand the importance of public transportation and the need for increased federal investment. APTA has designated "Telling Your Story to Congress District Days” for Jan. 6-8. [More]


AROUND THE INDUSTRY

Milwaukee Bus Operator Finds Missing Child

A bus operator in Milwaukee did more than transport passengers on his route Dec. 17—he rescued a missing boy from the cold Wisconsin night. [More]



Former VIA Leader Donates Funds to Child Care Center

When John M. Milam, former president and chief executive officer of VIA Metropolitan Transit in San Antonio, TX, discovered that more than $16,000 remained of the private funds raised for his retirement luncheon, he made sure to give back to the agency where he had worked for 34 years. He donated the money to VIA’s on-site Child Development Center for the purchase of new playground equipment. [More]



‘Ambassadors’ Assist with Service Changes in San Francisco

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) deployed Service Ambassadors to help riders with the most significant route and schedule changes to the San Francisco Municipal Railway (Muni) system in a generation, which began Dec. 5. [More]



INIT Receives German Innovations Award

The Intermodal Transport Control Systems (ITCS) expert panel of the German Transport Association (VDV) recently honored INIT with its 2009 ITCS Innovations Award, presented to recognize innovative achievements in the field. [More]



Fort Worth’s ‘T’ Welcomes a New Travelers Aid Center

Travelers Aid Dallas/Fort Worth has opened a facility at the Intermodal Transportation Center (ITC) in downtown Fort Worth, TX, the largest bus transfer center for the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T). The station also provides connections to Greyhound intercity bus; Trinity Railway Express commuter rail, which The T jointly owns with Dallas Area Rapid Transit; and Amtrak intercity rail. [More]


APTA NEWS

Universities Conference in Athens, GA

The 2010 APTA Transportation & University Communities Conference will convene in Athens, GA, April 10-13, with the Athens Transit System and the University of Georgia serving as co-hosts. [More]


COMMENTARY

Keep Transit Plans on Track

Local, on-the-ground efforts to improve mass transit in southeast Michigan should not stall while legislators consider a sorely needed plan to create a Regional Transit Authority. [More]


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