Voters in the Kalamazoo area, Saginaw and Benzie County, MI, voted overwhelmingly Aug. 4 to enact or renew property tax millages to support public transportation in their communities. [More]

SFMTA Launches E Embarcadero Historic Streetcar Line; Single-Seat Service from AT&T Park to Fisherman's Wharf

Historic streetcars have taken to a second route in San Francisco with the Aug. 1 launch of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s E Embarcadero Line. [More]

FTA's McMillan Outlines Agency's New Safety Role

FTA Acting Administrator Therese McMillan issued an online letter to the public transportation industry in late July outlining the agency’s new accident investigation role, including how FTA accident investigators operate and interact with State Safety Oversight Agencies (SSOAs) and FTA grantees, a responsibility granted to the agency by MAP-21. [More]

McMillan to Address APTA Annual Meeting; Network, Learn, Share in San Francisco

FTA Acting Administrator Therese McMillan is confirmed as a keynote speaker at the 2015 APTA Annual Meeting, Oct. 4-7, 2015, San Francisco, and will lead FTA Update, a question-and-answer general session that has become a staple at APTA conferences and a member-favorite event. [More]

Caltrain's New Grant Will Fund All-Electric Trains

Caltrain in San Carlos, CA, recently received a $20 million grant from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to help fund electrification of the 51-mile commuter rail corridor between San Francisco and San Jose. [More]

Sen. Boxer Meets with Big Blue Bus

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) discussed the Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus (BBB) Expo Integration Plan with Director of Transit Services Ed King during a July 18 tour of Los Angeles Metro’s under-construction Downtown Santa Monica Expo Line Station, which BBB will also serve. [More]

Ann Arbor's New Buses First with Fuel-Efficient Allison Transmissions

The Ann Arbor Area Transpor­tation Authority (TheRide) partnered with Allison Transmission at a July 31 event to welcome the first of five dozen ­Gillig buses, becoming the first agency in the world to operate a vehicle that uses ­Allison’s new fuel-efficient ­transmission. [More]

DHS Awards $87 Million in Transit Security Grants

The Department of Homeland Security recently awarded $87 million in Fiscal Year 2015 Transit Security Grant Program funds for 34 public transit agencies, transportation organizations and municipalities in 19 states and the District of Columbia through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. [More]

New CEOs, Interim Named

Two public transit agencies have announced new permanent chief executives and a third has named an interim CEO. [More]

IN-DEPTH

Solutions on Tap: California Public Transit Agencies Ahead of Governor's Call to Save Water

When California Gov. Jerry Brown called for a 25 percent cut in the state’s water use by Feb. 28, 2016, most public transit agencies were well beyond meeting—and exceeding—that mandate. [More]

APTA NEWS

APTA's Advocacy Efforts Heat Up During Congress' August Recess

APTA is urging all of its members to reach out to their congressional representatives during the August recess to thank them for taking action to approve short-term funding for MAP-21 (which expired on July 31) and to emphasize the importance of investing long-term in road and public transportation infrastructure before the program’s next deadline on Oct. 29. [More]

APTA Members Named to International Boards

Three APTA members who are ­public transit agency general managers have been appointed to UITP governing bodies representing the U.S. and North America. [More]

Sustainability Workshop Highlights Green Projects

APTA Sustainability Committee Chair Susannah Kerr Adler, general manager-regional operations, SYSTRA Consulting Inc., received a certificate of silver-level recognition for SYSTRA's participation in the APTA Sustainability Commitment program during the recent 2015 Sustainability and Public Transportation Workshop in Portland, OR. [More]

AROUND THE INDUSTRY

Clinton Tours Des Moines Station

The Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) welcomed Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State and former Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) to its LEED Platinum-certified DART Central Station on July 27. [More]

Valley Metro Sparks Billions in Corridor Development

From restaurants to residential development, 204 projects totaling more than $8.2 billion in private and public capital investment have been built adjacent to or near Valley Metro’s initial 20 miles of light rail that extends from Phoenix and Tempe into Mesa, with another $346 million in commercial and residential building in the planning stages, most from private developers. [More]

NJ Transit Orders 772 Commuter Coaches from MCI

New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ Transit) recently authorized the purchase of 772 buses from Motor Coach Industries (MCI) for $395 million, with delivery spread over six years beginning in 2016. [More]

Lansing Officials Visit Cleveland's HealthLine

Business, community and public transit leaders from Lansing, MI, recently toured the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s HealthLine BRT. [More]

APTA Business Members Involved in Acquisitions

Four APTA business members—Wabtec, Faiveley Transport, Hallcon Corporation and GlobeSherpa—have been involved in recent acquisitions. [More]

Reno RTC, Capital Metro Receive Federal Excellence Awards

The Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County, Reno, NV, and the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Austin, TX, are among eight honorees in the 2015 Transportation Planning Excellence Awards Program developed by FTA and FHWA. [More]

Operation Lifesaver Grants Strengthen Agencies' Programs

Most of the fatalities that occur on public transit properties are due to ­incidents on platforms, people or bicyclists trespassing near tracks and collisions at crossings—accounting for 71 percent of such incidents in 2012, according to the National Transit Database. [More]

SFMTA Honors Top Cable Car Bell Ringers

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency recently honored Byron Cobb for the sixth time as the winner of its 52nd Muni Cable Car Bell Ringing Contest. [More]

Civic Action and Leadership Drive Recent Transportation Innovations

In the past decade, several cities have transformed their streets by adding bus and bike lanes, creating new pedestrian plazas and emphasizing the movement of people instead of cars—changes initiated by local-level advocacy, according to A People’s History of Recent Urban Transportation Innovation, a new report released by TransitCenter. [More]

COMMENTARY

Obama Signs Short-Term Patch; Senate Passes Six-Year Bill. Now What?

While many public transportation leaders are expressing appreciation for the newly signed short-term funding extension and the Senate’s long-term bill, they are also stepping up local advocacy initiatives to build momentum for a new measure when Congress returns from its August recess to a jam-packed agenda. Several APTA leaders share their thoughts about next steps. [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]