January 22, 2016
NEWS HEADLINES
Las Vegas RTC Opens Mobility Training Center

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas opened its Mobility Training Center—designed to help area residents become more comfortable with using public transportation—on Jan. 7. [More]

CLASSIFIEDS
» Ben Franklin Transit, Richland, WA, is looking for a general manager. [More]
» Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority/Metro has an opening for a chief operating officer. [More]
» The city of Norwalk, CA, seeks proposals for development of an Intelligent Transportation System master plan. [More]
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Hampton Roads Transit Opens Norfolk Center

Hampton Roads Transit recently celebrated the grand opening of its $6.5 million Downtown Norfolk Transit Center in Norfolk, VA, with a ribbon cutting for the facility, expected to serve a daily average of 5,000-6,000 bus riders throughout the region. [More]

The Rapid Extends Route to Businesses, Healthcare

The Rapid, Grand Rapids, MI, launched service Jan. 11 on a three-year pilot project to extend a bus route east into Cascade Township, providing service to businesses and healthcare facilities along the corridor. [More]

Mayors' Survey: Growing Public Transit a Priority

Public transportation is among the primary infrastructure concerns cited by respondents to the 2015 Menino Survey of Mayors, regardless of the size of their cities, location or party affiliation. [More]

Gold Coast Transit Dedicates Renovated Facility

The Gold Coast Transit District, Oxnard, CA, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Jan. 20 commemorating the pending reopening of the newly renovated Customer Service and Call Center at the Oxnard Transit Center. [More]

Cleveland Launches New Trolleys in Anticipation of the Republican Convention

Joe Calabrese, chief executive officer and general manager/secretary-treasurer, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA), and Joe Marinucci, Downtown Cleveland Alliance president/CEO, welcomed the first of RTA’s newest 12 newest Downtown Trolley vehicles Jan. 21. [More]

Public Transit Honors Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Metro in St. Louis and the Sacramento Regional Transit District held events to honor the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. [More]

rabbittransit Expands Service, Changes Formal Name

In response to expanding shared-ride service into two additional Pennsylvania counties, the York Adams Transportation Authority in York, PA, which does business as rabbittransit, recently changed its formal name to the Central Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. [More]

FTA Panel: Implementing SMS

The recently passed FAST Act reinforces FTA’s safety oversight of ­public transit agencies first granted by MAP-21, FTA officials reported at a Jan. 11 panel discussion during the Transportation Research Board’s 95th Annual Meeting, noting that “safety is integral to all other DOT strategic goals,” which include ensuring state of good repair, economic competitiveness, quality of life and environmental sustainability. [More]

New CEOs, Interim Named

Two public transportation businesses have named new chief executives and a public transit agency has announced an interim executive director. [More]

Calgary Transit Welcomes First 'Mask' Light Rail Car

Calgary (AB) Transit unveiled the first of 63 new railcars from Siemens Canada on Jan. 15 in a move that will boost ridership for the agency’s light rail (CTrain) service. [More]

Public Transit Agencies, Businesses Earn Recognition; From Sustainable Facilities to Intermodal Connections, Public Transit Stands Out

Public transportation agencies and businesses receive recognition for many things: their planning, route and facility design, sustainability efforts, even record keeping. Here are some examples. [More]

BMBG Convenes for Annual Meeting

The APTA Business Member Board of Governors met for its 2016 Annual Meeting Jan. 19-22 in Oahu, Hawaii. [More]

PSTA Ends Year by 'Paying It Forward'

Tonya Farmer of St. Petersburg, FL, was traveling with three young children at a Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) bus stop on Dec. 31 when a PSTA employee presented her with a free three-day bus pass as part of its new bus pass launch. [More]

Industry Leaders Die

Four longtime public transit professionals--a former agency head, a sales employee, a past state DOT director and a researcher--recently died. [More]

APTA NEWS

Transit's Transcendent Trends Focus of Bus Conference Keynote Address

John Martin, one of the industry’s leading futurists, is the keynote speaker at the Closing Session of APTA’s 2016 Bus & Paratransit Conference, ­Charlotte, NC, May 15-18. [More]

APTA Members Receive TRB Awards

Leaders of two APTA member organizations received national awards from the Transportation Research Board (TRB) during its 95th Annual Meeting, recently concluded in Washington, DC. [More]

MEET THE APTA STAFF

Meet Leon Tran!

This is the latest in an ongoing series of columns showcasing members of the APTA staff. The subject of this profile is Leon Tran, staff accountant-accounts receivable, Finance Department. [More]
COMMENTARY

Redefining MARTA: A Call to Action; GM's Vision for Bold, New Agency

Redefining MARTA is the singular mission for us to grow and evolve in the years ahead. It will require us to abandon old-school thinking that no longer serves the best interests of the agency—or our customers—and it means embracing an entrepreneurial culture that encourages risk-taking and the willingness to constantly find better and more productive ways of doing business. [More]

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Who's Doing What in the Industry

Click here to see the latest 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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