April 29, 2016
BREAKING NEWS
Melaniphy Resigns as President & CEO; APTA VP White Named Acting President & CEO

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) announced today that Michael P. Melaniphy has resigned as APTA's President & CEO, effective April 29. [More]

CLASSIFIEDS
» The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency seeks two project managers, one in the Capital Improvement Program and one in the Light Rail Vehicle Procurement Program. [More]
» Bi-State Development/Metro in St. Louis is looking for a director, MetroBus operations. [More]
» The Alexandria Transit Company requests proposals for redesign of its DASH website. [More]
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NEWS HEADLINES

RTD Opens 1st Commuter Rail Line; Line Is a FasTracks, Eagle P3 Project

Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) and its partners celebrated the grand opening of the University of Colorado A Line and its eight stations with a ribbon-cutting ceremony April 22 at the ­Denver International Airport Station that brought together numerous federal and local dignitaries. [More]

Flowers Named FTA Acting Administrator

Carolyn Flowers, named FTA deputy administrator on April 18, is now serving as acting administrator, carrying out the functions and duties of the position of administrator. [More]

Agencies Break Ground for System Improvements

Public transit agencies in Seattle; Edmonton, AB; St. Louis; and Florida recently broke ground for new routes, extensions and facilitiies. [More]

$1.3 Billion in U.S.-Mexico Border Projects Announced

A BRT line under construction and refurbishment of light rail stations near the U.S.-Mexico border are among the $1.3 billion worth of infrastructure projects commemorated by U.S. and Mexican officials at a recent event in Otay Mesa, CA. [More]

FTA Issues Safety Mandate to WMATA

FTA, which has been granted temporary safety oversight of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) rail operations, has directed the agency to immediately inspect and correct safety-related conditions in tunnels and conduct safety briefings for relevant employees. [More]

Pierce Transit Restores Cuts

The Pierce Transit Board of Commissioners in Lakewood, WA, recently announced plans to use excess reserve funding to restore 59,000 hours of service by the end of 2017—15,000 hours this year and another 34,000 hours next year—and begin hiring and training activities this year for 35 additional employees. [More]

NOLA RTA Unveils Major Service Growth

For the first time since ­Hurricane Katrina devastated parts of New Orleans more than 10 years ago, the city’s Regional Transit Authority (RTA) introduced extensive service enhancements in mid-April that restored 24-hour operation on some routes, expanded ­service to the suburbs and added an express bus route to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. [More]

RideScout, GlobeSherpa Merge

RideScout and GlobeSherpa recently merged to become moovel NA, a subsidiary of Daimler AG. [More]

SPECIAL INSERT

APTA Bus Conference Exhibitor Directory

We look forward to welcoming attendees to APTA’s Bus Conference in Charlotte. [More]

MORE NEWS

New Interim CEO Named

The Transbay Joint Powers Authority has named an interim executive director. [More]

In Memoriam: Axton, Transit Agency Manager

Rollo Axton, 60, of Clifton, VA, a public transportation professional in Kansas and Virginia, died April 18. [More]

IN-DEPTH

Collaboration Moves Cities Forward, Part 2

The most successful public transit agency general managers are masters of collaboration who build partnerships with transportation stakeholders as diverse as real estate developers, community activists, small ­business owners and engineers. [More]

SPECIAL NEWS: EARTH DAY

Public Transit Goes Green; Agencies Nationwide Celebrate Earth Day

Public transportation agencies held special events on and around Earth Day, April 22, to showcase how their efforts save 40 million tons of emissions and 4.2 billion gallons of gas each year. Here are a few examples of the ways they brought the message of sustainability to their communities. [More]
AROUND THE INDUSTRY

McCall Addresses KCATA Diversity Conference

Nothing symbolizes diversity and inclusion more than public transportation, which serves everyone regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or income. [More]

SARTA Unveils Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus in Columbus

The Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA), Canton, OH, unveiled its first hydrogen fuel cell bus during an April 19 event at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, held in conjunction with the Ohio Public Transportation Association’s (OPTA) Annual Conference. [More]

FTA Final Rule Strengthens Rail Transit Safety

On April 15, the FTA State Safety Oversight Program final rule (SSO rule) officially came into effect, significantly strengthening state safety oversight and enforcement authority to prevent and mitigate accidents and incidents on public transit rail systems. [More]

New Flyer Introduces 60-Foot Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus

New Flyer of America, a subsidiary of New Flyer Industries Inc., recently conducted the inaugural road demonstration of its Xcelsior® XHE60 heavy-duty 60-foot articulated hydrogen fuel cell transit bus—according to the company, the first in North America. [More]

Georgia Governor Signs Historic MARTA Bill

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed a landmark bill April 26 empowering Atlanta to hold a fall ballot referendum asking voters to support a half-penny sales tax to expand the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. [More]

APTA NEWS

MTI Honors Winners of Garrett Morgan Competition; APTA Hosts Symposium at DOT in Washington

A team of students from Morada Middle School, Stockton, CA, recently took first place in the Mineta Transportation Institute’s 16th annual Garrett Morgan Sustainable Transportation Competition for its presentation, which focused on using discarded waste products including grape pomace and vineyard prunings to produce biofuels such as ethanol and methane. [More]

Melaniphy Shares Insights into National Public Transit Policy

APTA President & CEO Michael Melaniphy recently participated in a panel discussion for the 2016 Eno Transit Senior Executive Program in Washington, DC, a year-long leadership development program for top industry executives. [More]

Bus Conference: Opportunity to Celebrate Diversity

Consistent with APTA’s values and as part of its ongoing work advocating for access to mobility and inclusiveness for all people, the association’s Executive Committee decided to proceed with the 2016 International Roadeo and Bus & Paratransit ­Conference. [More]

Apply by June 1 for Leadership APTA Class of 2017

Leadership APTA is accepting applications for the Class of 2017 through June 1. [More]

APTA COMMITTEE PROFILE

Meet the Transit Board Members Committee!

This is the latest in a series of columns showcasing APTA committees. The subject of this profile is the Transit Board Members Committee, chaired by David Stackrow, board chairman, Capital District Transportation Authority, Albany, NY. [More]

COMMENTARY

New Report: the Best Complete Streets Policies of 2015

A call to action on the United States’ obesity epidemic, a challenge on safety from a federal cabinet secretary, new standards for transportation in Congress and the first-ever perfect-scoring policy all made 2015 a banner year for the national movement for Complete Streets. [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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