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NEWS, PHOTOS FROM THE BUS & PARATRANSIT CONFERENCE
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Speakers Note Industry's Value as Economic Engine
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The economic benefits of public transportation and the need for greater federal investment in the industry were major topics addressed during the Opening General Session, starting with APTA Chair Doran J.  Barnes. Barnes, executive director, Foothill Transit, West Covina, CA, thanked Lee Gibson, executive director, Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County (RTC), and his team for hosting the conference and recognized Gibson for his leadership in electric vehicle technology.
“This is an important issue for my home agency at Foothill Transit,” Barnes said. “We’re learning together … and I’m thrilled that Lee and his team are ‘leaning in’ and thinking about what the future brings.” |
Gibson spoke about the recent transformation of Reno, noting that the 2008 recession took a very heavy toll on the  community and “forced a lot of decision makers to sit down and rethink, repurpose and redirect our community… .” As a result, he said, “when the next economic downturn occurs, the severity of that downturn would not be as great as it was during the 2008 recession.”
He credited Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve for the turnaround, saying she brought not just vision and vibrancy and energy, but also “a magical touch.”
The mayor welcomed attendees to “the biggest little city” and said she was “proud of the infrastructure that’s happening” in Reno. She told attendees, “You are such a key element of a vibrant city, and certainly when it comes to economic development, when it comes to jobs, you guys are really at the frontline.”
RTC Board Chair and Sparks Mayor Pro Tem Ron Smith talked about the growth around his city, adjacent to Reno, and how it is attracting such businesses as Tesla, Google and Apple.
“In Sparks,” he said, “we pride ourselves on our regional partnerships to improve the quality of our life for our residents and create opportunities for people in businesses.” He said transit not only creates economic opportunities, but also drives community growth and revitalization.
Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV), who serves on the House Appropriations Committee, applauded the public transportation  industry for its efforts and urged APTA members to continue taking their message to Capitol Hill.
“I would encourage you to double down” on advocacy efforts and to propose solutions, he said. “Please continue to be proactive in terms of what you think those appropriate solutions should and could be, because the challenge at the end of the day is to get the policy right.”
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) sent video greetings in which she expressed her opposition to the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to transportation funding. She pledged her support for FTA funding priorities and a continuation of the TIGER program.
Barnes talked about his priorities as APTA chair, saying “safety and security are critical and fundamental to everything we do.” In citing a recent study mission to Asia he led with more than 20 APTA members, he said, “Our goal was to look at the best in the world in terms of safety and security practices.”
He also discussed his second priority, which is to make sure APTA has a strong presence in Washington, DC.
“Washington is a very different environment now, and we need to make sure that we continue to have our voice heard loud and clear, that we’re strong, that the vital services we provide and the things we do to make our community stronger are well understood by those who make decisions.”
As for APTA’s governance, Barnes announced that more than the necessary two-thirds of APTA members had approved changes to the association’s bylaws, which will ensure improved representation of key segments of APTA’s membership.
He also reported that the selection of a permanent CEO for APTA is on track to recommend a candidate to the board in December, and said APTA expects to update its Diversity and Inclusion Plan before his term ends in October.
APTA Acting President & CEO Richard White discussed the industry’s recent victory in winning congressional approval of the Fiscal Year 2017 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, which includes $2.4 billion for the Capital Investment Grants program (also known as “New Starts” or CIG), more than the amount authorized under the FAST Act.
“There are 53 projects totaling $38 billion in the current CIG pipeline and probably another 50 [projects] behind it,” he said. “These are projects that had been in development for 10 and 15 years, front-ended by local money to get them to a stage of readiness for implementation and those were all at risk,” White explained.
He said APTA has been hard at work implementing an aggressive advocacy campaign in Washington that has included more than 100 meetings with congressional offices since the election, the creation of new grassroots toolkits that helped generate 11,000 letters to Congress, and close collaboration with coalition partners. “But the fight is not over and the job’s not done,” White emphasized. He said APTA will remain focused on securing the necessary funding for FAST Act programs in the FY 2018 budget and on pushing for a new infrastructure investment initiative that includes resources for public transit.
“We have a great story to tell and we need to tell it repeatedly,” he said. “We need it to speak with a single voice from all different aspects of our industry, from bus operators and bus manufacturers, from engineering and construction firms, from the public sector, from the private sector and the supply side. We’re only as strong as our unity.”
White also unveiled two new APTA resources designed to help members show the positive impact of their public transit operations. (See below.)
In conclusion, White told attendees that their participation in this conference demonstrated a “commitment to our industry’s future.”
“Many of you are on the frontlines, providing 35 million passenger trips every day,” he said. “You’re the reason why we won this big budget battle and you will continue to be essential to our success.”
APTA Releases Impact Resources
APTA unveiled two advocacy tools members can use to calculate public transportation’s positive impact on their local areas.
“My Economic Impact Tool: How to Use It” computes the number of jobs and the amount of income generated in a community from a transit system’s operations and capital investments, and “My Economic Impact: How to Talk About the Numbers” is a guide for effectively communicating data to decision-makers, stakeholders and the media.
Learn how to maximize the tools at an APTA webinar, May 22, 2 p.m. (eastern). Register here and download the reports at the APTA website.
Picture This: Bus Conference Sessions on Video
APTA has produced videos of the four General Sessions and some other conference events. Find them at www.apta.com.
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