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2014: YEAR IN REVIEW

APTA's Committees Address Industry Issues, Opportunities; Chairs Reflect on Key Themes, Activities

What were the industry’s major issues, challenges, and opportunities this past year and how is APTA addressing them on behalf of its members—organizations ranging from rural transit agencies to multinational corporations?

For answers, APTA turns to its nearly 150 committees, subcommittees, technical forums, and task forces, which mirror the industry’s diversity and complexity. Passenger Transport talked with a few committee chairs to get a sampling of the topics affecting the public transportation industry in 2014. Brief reports follow:

Legislative Committee
The committee experienced both accomplishments and challenges, said Jeffrey Nelson, committee chair and general manager, Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District (MetroLink), Moline, IL.“We began the year with newly adopted recommendations for well-funded, long-term authorization bills for public transportation and high-speed intercity passenger rail—an accomplishment,” he said, “and the New Year will arrive without a full-year federal transportation appropriations funding bill in place, definitely a challenge.”

That said, the committee tackled a full agenda, beginning in January when Congress passed a full year 2014 appropriations bill for public transportation. The bill fully funded the MAP-21 levels from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) and authorized nearly $2.1 billion for FTA general fund ­programs, including $1.94 billion for FTA New Starts. The bill also provided $600 million for DOT’s TIGER grants.

“It was good that funding was close to authorized levels, but MAP-21 expired in September and we knew Congress still needed to rewrite the authorization bill,” Nelson said, adding that the hearings and authorization processes were dominated by discussions regarding the status of the HTF and Mass Transit Account.

“Finding revenues to support even current spending would be difficult, and a shortage of revenues for the HTF would be an ongoing challenge to APTA’s goal of securing a long-term authorization bill before MAP-21 expired,” he said.

Nelson noted several other advocacy-related initiatives and events of importance to the committee:

Legislative Conference: Attendees heard from Washington insiders including DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx; Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA), chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee; Rep. Eleanor Holmes ­Norton (D-DC), ranking member of the T&I’s Highways and Transit Subcommittee; longtime public transit advocate Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR); then-FTA Deputy Administrator Therese McMillan; and FRA Administrator Joseph Szabo. Members also made personal and delegation visits to members of Congress to advocate for a long-term bill.

Testimony: APTA President & CEO Michael Melaniphy testified before the House T&I Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials; the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; and the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies.

Denver RTD General Manager Phillip Washington, then APTA vice chair, and James Bass, interim director, Texas DOT, testified before the House T&I Committee Panel on Public-Private Partnerships. Joseph Calabrese, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, and Lee Gibson, Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County, Reno, NV, testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development.

GROW AMERICA: In April, the Obama administration introduced the four-year GROW AMERICA Act, which specifically called for $72 billion for public transportation. “As the year progressed, with the midterm elections closer, Congress became less likely to vote for tax increases that would even fund existing transit and highway levels,” Nelson said.

HTF: Early in the year, Nelson said, the Congressional Budget Office and DOT predicted that the HTF would have insufficient funds to fully pay for existing obligations after Aug. 1 and that the Mass Transit Account would run out of funds after Oct. 1.

Bus and Paratransit CEOs Committee
This committee has been especially focused on helping member agencies advocate for their systems, particularly in the absence of a stable, well-funded transportation bill, said Brad Miller, chief executive officer, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority in St. Petersburg, FL, and committee chair.

He said the federal government needs to stop “kicking the can down the road” and make a concerted effort to establish a well-funded national transportation policy.

“Our systems are the ones that rely heavily on federal transportation bills to operate our buses—to support not only buying new buses for expanded transit services, but to replace old bus systems,” Miller said. His own agency, which operates a fleet of about 200 buses, is facing uncertainty about where the money will come from in order to continue services while meeting the growing demand for expanding routes, which is evident in agencies from coast to coast.

“What we’re faced with is either having to buy buses with local funds, which will take away from the local funds we need to run the buses and pay drivers, or cutting services.” His own agency sought public support with a funding referendum in November, but the measure failed. “Locally we had our highest ridership ever,” he said.

Midsize systems like his are feeling the brunt of the pain, he said. Larger metropolitan areas have greater flexibility because they offer different public transit modes. Still, he said, “I think we’re doing a better job about energizing our members to build good relationships with their congressional delegations,” noting that this initiative will continue in 2015 as his committee continues to press Congress for improved funding.

In addition, the committee played a key role in contributing to APTA’s strategic plan (see related story on page 3), and it worked with graduates of Leadership APTA to help bus system executives develop leadership skills related to advanced technology and to improving internal communications.

Rail Transit Committee
Funding, workforce development, and rail safety were high on the agenda of this committee, chaired by Paul Jablonski, chief executive officer of the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System. “I think at the highest level, funding has been the topic of conversation,” he said.Uncertainties persist and will continue to do so, he added, because of the shifting political landscapes in Washington, DC, and across the country as evidenced by the November midterm elections.

Meanwhile, FTA has continued its push for enhancing rail safety. Rail systems across the country have been “trying to better understand the FTA’s philosophy, their oversight, and what they’re going to be rolling out,” ­Jablonski said. “We have spent a lot of time concerned about this issue.”

Also of major concern is workforce development and modernizing the country’s railway systems, which often go hand-in-hand. Modernization isn’t just about implementing cutting-edge systems, Jablonski said. It also means training the existing workforce and getting more young people interested in rail industry careers.

“We all feel the pain of how our workforce is aging and how technology is changing, especially on the rail side,” he said, noting how systems are shifting from mechanical operation to being electronic- and computer-based. “We’re getting away from the old signals and going into solid state electronic signaling systems.”

The committee has also focused on updating industry standards to reflect modernization and new technology. Specifically, Jablonski said APTA is addressing new standards for wheel assembly, ECP (electronically controlled pneumatic) brake equipment, track curving derailment prevention, operator fatigue and others, as well as reviewing revisions to existing standards such as workstation tables, heritage streetcar equipment, rolling stock wheel load equalization, and others.

Another significant challenge the industry faces, he said, is the dwindling amount of money for research. “We’re looking at trying to get the word to Congress that research in the transit industry is important,” he said.

Inherent in that challenge, Jablonski noted, is to persuade members of Congress and elected officials across the country of the value of public transportation projects to an increasing number of their constituents who are helping ridership surge to record levels.

Other important related committee activities Jablonski noted include its work on the development of ECP brakes that will provide advanced electronic braking systems to improve performance and safety; its successful efforts with FRA on high-speed rail vehicle crashworthiness rule-making and other regulations related to application of vehicle operator safety appliances; and its work with the Rail Rolling Stock Equipment Technical Forum to republish a guideline summary of rapid transit systems in use around the country that will help agencies collaborate and exchange information about their rail equipment.

Commuter Rail Committee
Like other rail-related public transit systems, PTC was a top priority for this committee. In 2014, the committee assembled a group to better delve into some implementation issues, including the challenges that could prevent some agencies from meeting the 2015 deadline, said Donald Orseno, committee chair and executive director and chief executive officer, Metra commuter rail in Chicago.Part of the group’s role is to reach out to federal rail officials “to make sure that we are all working together to implement PTC as quickly as possible,” he said. Implementing the technology has been a particular challenge, he said, because there are so many elements to these complicated systems—from software and equipment systems to employee training and communications.

“I think all the railroads are progressing in a good way,” Orseno said. “We’re working through funding issues right now, but funding is only one part of it. A lot of it is technology issues and tower issues,” he said, referring to the thousands of communications towers that must be built along rail lines to allow communications systems to transmit information.

“They’re a lot of different moving pieces, a lot of things that have to fit together in order to accomplish this,” he said. “Everyone’s goal is to get it implemented as quickly as possible.” Rail agencies have been making good-faith efforts; however they may need extensions on the deadline to complete the implementation, he said.

Orseno and his committee have been reaching out to federal rail officials to discuss the deadlines and the uncertain consequences should some rail systems be unable to meet the deadline.

“If you’ve invested the resources to get things done and you won’t be able to get them done, they should allow you some additional time in order to accomplish those goals. So I think it’s in everybody’s best interest to work together to get it implemented as quickly as possible,” he said.

“That’s one of the things that we need to discuss. What will the penalties be, if there are penalties?” Orseno continued, noting that some commuter rail systems are financially challenged. “What we’re really looking for is help on extensions rather than penalties.” It will take an act of Congress, he said, to give federal rail officials the authority to grant deadline extensions.

“Commuter rail is an integral part of the nation’s economic development,” he said. “We all understand that where commuter rail goes, where public transportation goes, communities grow. There’s no question about that.”

High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail Committee
High-speed rail projects, most notably in California, Texas, and the Midwest (incremental high speed) made “tremendous amounts of progress” over the past year, said Peter Gertler, committee chair and director of business development at Autodesk Inc., in California. “Despite rumors of high-speed rail’s demise, there has been good news,” he said, including new funding sources, court victories, and signs of interest among investors.In California, the state will use funds from cap-and-trade pollution fees to finance the long-delayed high-speed rail system. The fees could generate about $250 million next year and many millions more in the years to come. The state allocated a quarter of cap-and-trade revenues to the project. “That means a significant source of funding will be available,” Gertler said. “It’s huge. … It’s very positive indeed.”

However, challenges continue regarding financing the project. Nevertheless, private industry has expressed interest in the project, which could further build momentum, he said.

In Texas, a 240-mile high-speed rail system would connect Dallas and Houston, reducing the ground commute from four hours by car to just 90 minutes via bullet train. In October, backers of the project unveiled potential routes, and according to the most optimistic estimates, trains could be running within six years.

Funding and federal approval are still pending, he said, noting that the Texas project would be financed privately, which creates a different funding and political dynamic that could become a model for the future.

His committee is preparing a study that would look at the return on investment of high-speed rail, which he hopes to launch and complete by next year.

“We’re in a challenging environment,” he said. “Given the kind of environment we have in Congress today, issues around investment in high-speed rail become kind of a political football.” That’s unfortunate, he said, because investing in the country’s infrastructure has usually been a bipartisan effort. “I think everyone has seen the value of it. We, unfortunately like many other issues, have become a victim of the partisan issues around Congress.”

As a result, there is a need for greater advocacy and to show the return on investment on high-speed rail. “The popularity of high-speed rail continues to be very strong amongst local decision makers and the public,” Gertler said. “We’re making the case that it’s the direction we need to go to provide sustainable, energy-efficient, and convenient transportation alternatives that will produce economic growth and ­prosperity in our country.”

Research and Technology Committee
This committee added six new subcommittees to widen its repertoire of expertise and to encourage greater participation among its members, said its chair, ­Jonathan McDonald, vice president and business sector manager for Atkins North America Transit Rail.One of those new subcommittees—the Tech Portal Subcommittee—focused on establishing, managing, and promoting an online portal to disseminate non sales-based technical information, including committee-generated white papers and webinars on various technologies so the industry can remain on the ­cutting edge. “It’s a way for us to learn about different technologies without the sales hype to keep the industry current,” ­McDonald said.

The committee continued to emphasize investigation of technology issues around the implementation of PTC, which he called “big and complicated.”

Of special concern is solving communications and related issues. Not only do many agencies and railroads still have trouble finding and licensing frequencies in the 220 MHz band, but the technical solution now requires the construction of some 22,000 previously unplanned radio towers. The groups needed to approve tower location, such as the American Indians and historical preservation societies, are simply not prepared to deal with this many applications all at once, he said.

Last, much of the back office network required for interoperability between systems is still left to be built. As of last March, only 15 percent of that network is built out, he said. Meeting the December 2015 deadline could prove a challenge to the industry.

“While this all sounds like a potential problem, from the public safety point of view, the railroads are as safe as they always were,” he said. “To put it in perspective, it’s still a hundred times safer to ride rail than it is to ride in a car.”
In other committee news, the Emerging and Innovative Technology Subcommittee focused much of its attention over the last year to helping create research and markets for technologies that will assist older Americans and people with disabilities, reported its chair, Angela Miller, director of programs, Cubic Transportation System in San Diego.

The subcommittee investigated a variety of emerging technologies, including wearables (smart watches, Google Glass, and other gadgets), virtual assistance technologies, and prescriptive analytics that could provide real-time help for riders to make more informed decisions. “Anything technology can do to help the industry ensure equal access for all riders, ­especially those who have visual, cognitive, or mobility impairments, would be welcome,” Miller said.

The subcommittee discussed potential partnerships to fund a project related to how older Americans and people with disabilities navigate bus stops, subway stations, and other public spaces. Outfitted with so-called wearable technology, information would be gathered as these riders move through transportation spaces and special electronic beacons track their movement.

“We were trying to take a technology that shows promise and repurpose that for public transportation,” Miller said. “If you could have a virtual assistant with you that coaches you on how to move through that space, certainly it could take some of the confusion away.” Unfortunately, she said, the subcommittee’s proposal remains unfunded. Miller said that funding for research is increasingly difficult to secure. “It is growing to be a crisis,” she said. Still, the subcommittee continues to reach out to potential collaborators. “This year we participated in a special European Union/United States Symposium on how to leverage research internationally and driving the results to adoption in the industry. And we’re going to have to create incentives for startups and even larger organizations that have not traditionally been interested in our industry. Time to think outside the box,” she said.

As for more traditional research, McDonald said the committee has been working with FTA’s Office of Research, Demonstration, and Innovation, and DOT’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology to better coordinate public transit research and facilitate better return on this investment in the industry.

Marketing and Communications Committee
This committee unrolled a major public awareness campaign to help the industry enhance recognition of the essential role public transpor­tation plays in individual lives and society as a whole.“It’s about branding public transportation,” said Jennifer Kalczuk, who chairs the committee and is external relations manager for The Rapid, Grand Rapids, MI. “It’s really about helping people think about public transportation in a new way.”

A prominent piece of the campaign is committee-developed print and digital advertising member agencies can adapt and customize for their specific markets. “The campaign itself was developed using a lot of research. We wanted to find messages and language and concepts for the ads that really resonated with the public,” Kalczuk said.

In February, the committee launched an initiative to help build a digital grassroots community of public transit users and advocates to help the industry amplify its message at a time when public transportation is seeking to broaden its support.

To date, Kalczuk said, more than 100,000 people have joined the grassroots community called “Voices for Public Transit,” which is featured on APTA’s grassroots website.

Sustainability ­Committee
During the past year, the committee made a concerted effort to raise awareness about its work and the important issues it tackles. That meant a stronger collaboration with the Marketing and Communications Committee to get the message out, said Susannah Kerr Adler, general manager of regional operations for ­SYSTRA and committee chair.“We wanted to better define the relevancy of sustainability,” she said, particularly within the public transit industry. Part of that focus meant revisiting the metrics the industry uses regarding sustainability, including assessing ­greenhouse gas emissions.

“Over the past five years, we’ve developed close to 20 APTA standards, recommended practices, and guidelines,” she noted, including those for urban design, climate change, and state of good repair/asset management. “Now we actually have to go back and revisit some of them and update them to make sure they continue to be relevant and appropriate for the public transit industry.”

The industry’s focus on sustainability, she said, has earned it a place at the table for broader discussions on the issue. Kerr Adler pointed out that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency asked her committee to weigh in on various topics on “green infrastructure” for roads, bridges, and rail systems.

In addition, some members of the committee were invited to the United Nations Climate Summit to address the role of public transportation and sustainability in climate change and asked to participate in the White House Council on Environmental Quality, which launched a Green Infrastructure Collaboration.

“We’re not just internally focused anymore,” she said. “A lot of thinking that’s been done by the Sustainability Committee has enabled recognition for the public transit industry at a much broader level and has allowed us to be included in the larger discussions around sustainability, climate change, and making communities more livable and resilient.”

Business Member Board of Governors
As the industry focused on a surface reauthorization bill, the Business Member Board of Governors (BMBG) continued pressing Congress to extend support for public transportation programs across the country.“That meant meeting with members of Congress and making sure we tell the story about public transportation and the need for reauthorization of the funding bill,” said BMBG Chair Patrick Scully, executive vice president of sales and marketing, Motor Coach Industries.

During the year, the BMBG made the case that public transportation is good for business, Scully said. “The case we’re making is that, quite frankly, public transportation is a good investment. For every $1 you invest, you get $4 in terms of economic returns,” he said. “A million people are employed by the industry,” Scully said, “so we’re creating and sustaining jobs. … And then beyond that, we also have the solutions to some of the nation’s critical transportation issues.”

Members of the BMBG watched the midterm elections play out to understand how shifts in the political landscape will affect the industry. Regardless of the outcome of the elections, the narrative remains much the same: The lack of a long-term bill fosters uncertainty that holds back progress.

“We’re pushing to get a five-year, or longer, funding bill,” Scully said, adding that he and his group would like Congress to allocate about $100 billion for federal transit programs over a six-year period.

Amid the federal uncertainty, the BMBG also continued to focus on developing innovative forms of financing, including public-private partnerships, issues at the center of APTA’s first International Practicum on Innovative Transit Funding and Financing in June.

In other news, the BMBG updated a procurement manual to help agencies identify best practices when considering investments in new equipment, expanding fleets, and making other big purchases, Scully said. “We want to make sure that, from an agency perspective, they have a holistic approach to procurement—that they balance risk and that they utilize a best value procurement.”

Scully said his group is focused on innovation. “We need to focus on better using the funds we have,” he said.

EXPO Advisory Committee
The advisory committee had one overarching objective for the year: Assist at the policy level to achieve a first-class APTA event in October. “With 30 appointed business members and the host property, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, we did just that this year with a spectacular EXPO in Houston,” said Jeffrey Wharton, advisory committee chair and president, IMPulse NC, LLC.“We exceeded our planned objectives for floor space and business sponsorships as well as our small and disadvantaged business participation, and the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) set up a pavilion for its members to exhibit—a new offering,” he said.

The committee also helped organize additional learning centers on the show floor and worked with staff to ensure international delegations and visitors attended. One highlight, he said, was when DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx walked the EXPO floor to meet some exhibitors and see the displays.

In addition, Wharton said, the advisory committee coordinated events to address industry challenges and issues. “In keeping with global environmental and sustainability issues, we unveiled a dedicated Mobility Management for Livable and Sustainable Communities Zone. This new venue offered attendees innovative solutions to transit-oriented development, complete streets, and green solutions,” he noted.

Even with tight budgets and reduced spending, Wharton said the industry came out “in force” to engage and learn about the latest products, services, and technologies. “We were very pleased with the response and the ability to deliver another high-quality EXPO our customers and peers expect. Through the committee, APTA continues to offer the largest public transportation exhibit and learning center venue that is free to attend. There is no other free-access show like it,” he said.

Prior to and following EXPO, Wharton said some committee members and APTA leadership and staff participated in a volunteer service project with the Houston Food Bank.

Diversity Council
Council Chair Valarie J. McCall, newly elected APTA vice chair and board member, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, said the council’s mission is to monitor and evaluate APTA programs and activities to ensure that diversity policies are supported and implemented and to provide recommendations to APTA’s Executive Committee on diversity concerns and issues in the association and the industry.“During 2014, the Diversity Council continued on­going work on updating the APTA Diversity Plan, which had not been modified since 2003,” McCall said. “The plan ­revisions were finalized and submitted to the Executive Committee, which approved the revisions at its September meeting. Now the council will continue to review the plan for further potential improvements and enhancements.”

More recently at its October meeting, McCall added, the Diversity Council reviewed a staff proposal on an initiative to establish strategies and tools APTA members can use to welcome and strengthen the inclusion of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in public transportation agencies and businesses.

“As council chair, I’ll appoint a task force to work on how this could be imple­mented within APTA,” McCall said.

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