March 20, 2015
NEWS HEADLINES
Leg Conference Focuses on Advocacy, Funding, Policies

Some of the nation's public transportation leaders shared their views of what's ahead for the industry during APTA's 40th Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., March 8-10, as Congress considers the next surface transportation authorization bill before MAP-21 expires on May 31. The conference featured five General Sessions over the conference's three-day program. [More]

CLASSIFIEDS
» Blacksburg Transit, Blacksburg, VA, has an opening for a transit director. [More]
» The Birmingham-Jefferson County (AL) Transit Authority seeks a director of operations. [More]
» MTA New York City Transit is soliciting contracts for 231 low floor 60-foot articulated buses with an option of up to another 300 buses. [More]
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MARTA Launches Initial Clayton County Service; Historic Event Opens County to Regional Public Transit Connections

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority marked the first jurisdictional expansion in its history with a ribbon-cutting event March 14 in Clayton County, where residents voted by three to one last year to join the agency and increased the county sales tax by 1 percent to finance the service. The tax went into effect March 1. [More]

Foxx, Shuster Attend 'National Journal' Forum

DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx and Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA), chairman, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, addressed infrastructure and repair issues at National Journal’s March 19 “Running on Empty: Tackling America's Infrastructure Crisis” event. [More]

FTA Schedules Three Webinars

FTA has scheduled three webinars for the week of March 24. People wishing to attend the webinars must preregister; after they sign up, they will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. [More]

DOT Issues Final Accessibility Rule

DOT announced on March 13 the final rule clarifying that public transportation providers are required to make reasonable modifications to their polices, practices and procedures to avoid discrimination and ensure programs and services are accessible to individuals with disabilities. [More]

New Leaders Named

Four public transportation agencies have announced new chief executives and a multinational business has named its chief executive officer to the additional position of chairman of the board. [More]

LeeTran Dedicates Headquarters Facility

Lee County Transit (LeeTran), Fort Myers, FL, dedicated its $42.9 million headquarters facility at ribbon-cutting ceremonies March 11. [More]

TECHNOLOGY

3-D Printing: Breaking the Mold

An engineer recently printed a working automobile engine and transmission on a 3-D printer. Surgeons can now 3-D print stents, splints, prosthetics and even parts of the human skull, knee or airway. It seems only logical that 3-D printing should begin to make its way into public transportation, holding the potential to lower costs and increase the speed of design, production and maintenance of public transit systems. [More]

Big Ideas about Big Data; Industry Leaders Weigh In on Value of Big Data

"Big data"--a term that identifies data sets so large, complex and dissimilar that they are difficult to process and analyze using traditional data management techniques--can be both a boon and a bust to public transportation. Passenger Transport recently asked several members the following question regarding big data and the role such information plays in the industry.

How can industry agencies and businesses harness and apply big data to strengthen their operations? [More]

Electric Propulsion Growing in Popularity; Fuel Cell or Plug-In, the Technology Is Becoming More Widely Used

Whether the technology is plug-in (using rechargeable batteries) or fuel cells, electric propulsion is becoming an increasingly feasible mode of operations for public transportation buses. A growing number of U.S. public transit agencies is incorporating electric-powered vehicles into their fleets, thanks to the growing presence of electric vehicle manufacturers and subcontractors. Figures from 2013, the latest available, quoted in APTA's 2014 Public Transportation Fact Book, show that 13.2 percent run hybrid-electric buses. [More]

COVERAGE OF APTA LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE

Stand Together and Stand Up for Transportation

Imagine the impact of no federal funds for your public transportation agency.

What projects would stop or never begin? How many jobs would be lost and businesses would suffer? What would happen to your community and its residents and visitors?

Stand up for funding on Stand Up for Transportation Day on April 9, APTA's national day of advocacy, and schedule an event that shines a light on the value of public transportation and the importance of a multi-year transportation reauthorization bill. [More]

APTA Members Share Insights at Senate Banking Committee Roundtables

Senior leaders from several public transportation agencies participated in two invitation-only special roundtables on Capitol Hill hosted by the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee to provide information about their operations and challenges as the committee takes up the surface transportation authorization bill. [More]

Travel and Transit's Natural Partnership

Roger Dow, president and chief executive officer, U.S. Travel Association (USTA), keynote speaker at a conference breakfast, said America stays "connected through travel and transportation," especially as U.S. cities compete for large-scale travel-related events with cities abroad. [More]

Three Days of Advocacy

More than 650 leaders from public transit systems and businesses that serve the public transportation market gathered in Washington, D.C., March 8-10 for APTA's 40th annual Legislative Conference. Click here to see a photographic portrait of the conference. [More]

APTA MEMBER PROFILE

Meet Richard W. Andreski!

This is the latest in an ongoing series of columns showcasing APTA members. The subject of this profile is Richard W. Andreski, chief of staff, rail operations, New Jersey Transit Corporation, co-chair, Early Career Program Mentors; member, Leadership APTA Class of 2009 and Human Resources Committee. [More]

AROUND THE INDUSTRY

High-Value Benefits of HSR

Jeff Morales, chief executive officer of the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA), recently spoke to rail industry representatives during a working lunch at the association's offices on how high-speed rail will have a transformative impact on that state's future. [More]

Laketran Station Honors Memory of Julie Cunningham

Laketran in Painesville, OH, recently dedicated the new Painesville Transfer Center in memory of Julie A. Cunningham, a Laketran board member from 1998-2001 and president/chief executive officer of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), Washington, D.C., from 2001 until her death in 2014. [More]

Las Vegas RTC Launches Project

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC), Las Vegas, recently launched a $40.3 million project to improve the Flamingo Road corridor, which connects to 15 RTC routes: 11 residential, three express routes and the Deuce on the Las Vegas Strip that operates with double-decker buses. One route is dedicated to the corridor; it carries 12,000 riders daily. [More]

Chicago's Metra Wins Award for Online Efforts

Metra's online campaign promoting the rail service as the gateway to summer fun was recently honored with a Silver ADDY award from the American Advertising Federation, marking the second year in a row that a Metra marketing campaign has received a silver award. [More]

Houston METRO Breaks Ground for Light Rail Overpass

Houston’s Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) broke ground March 14 for the Harrisburg Overpass, the last component of the new Green (East End) METRORail light rail line scheduled to open this spring. [More]

SEKISUI Acquires Third Manufacturing Facility

SEKISUI Polymer Innovations LLC (SPI) recently purchased a third manufacturing facility, a 375,000-square-foot building located two miles from the company’s headquarters and manufacturing facility in Bloomsburg, PA. [More]

TSA's 'Loaned Executive' Program

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) invites senior-level transportation security officials to participate in its Loaned Executive Program, which expands its information sharing capability to public transit agencies. [More]

APTA, AASHTO Report: 'Bottom Line'

APTA President & CEO Michael Melaniphy and Bud Wright, executive director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, recently released the 2015 Bottom Line Report, which estimates that all levels of government will have to make an annual capital investment of $163 billion for six years just to meet current demand for transportation infrastructure. [More]

King County Metro Presents Innovative Low-Income Fare Program

King County Metro Transit's new reduced-fare program is making public transit service more affordable for thousands of lower-income riders. [More]

APTA NEWS

Summit Explores Healthcare Access Strategies

"Rides to Wellness: An Executive Health and Transportation Summit," a recent half-day event organized by the National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM), attracted leaders from public transportation, healthcare organizations and federal agencies to explore strategies to eliminate one of the largest barriers to healthcare access: a lack of transportation. [More]

Highlights of Bus Conference Schedule

The APTA Bus & Paratransit Conference, May 3-6 in Fort Worth, TX, is only six weeks away. Here are a few more highlights from the conference schedule. [More]

New Deadline for Early Career Program

The APTA Early Career Program (ECP) has extended its deadline for receipt of applications for the Class of 2016 until March 27. [More]

COMMENTARY

State Leaders Advocate for Long-Term Transportation Bill; Officials Reiterate Federal-State-City Partnerships as Critical in Meeting Needs

Three state and local officials testified March 17 before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that they foresee significant disruption in long-range transportation infrastructure projects if Congress doesn't pass a long-term surface transportation bill. The hearing was the T&I Committee's second information-gathering session as it considers provisions in the bill. [More]

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Who's Doing What in the Industry

Passenger Transport announces the following hirings and promotions in public transportation agencies and business members. Items appear in People on the Move in the order in which they are received. [More]

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