Congress voted early Feb. 9 to approve a measure that funds the federal government at FY 2017 levels through March 23, 2018, and raises budget caps for both FY 2018 and FY 2019, as reported in a Legislative Alert released the same day by APTA. [More]

NEWS HEADLINES

Infrastructure Plan Set for Release on Feb. 12

President Trump’s long-awaited $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan is set to be released Feb. 12, a White House official said as this issue of Passenger Transport went to press. [More]

Oregon DOT Reopens Historic Salem Depot as Multimodal Hub

A former railroad baggage depot located next to the Amtrak station in Salem, OR, reopened Jan. 30 as a multimodal facility serving Greyhound Bus and providing connections to Cherriots local buses and other bus service. [More]

MnDOT Offers Free Rides on Autonomous Shuttle

Minnesota DOT (MnDOT) offered free rides on its autonomous shuttle bus in downtown Minneapolis Jan. 26-28 as part of efforts to increase public awareness of autonomous vehicle technology. [More]

AC Transit Opens First Dedicated Transit Lane

The Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit), Oakland, CA, recently partnered with the city of Berkeley to open the East Bay area’s first dedicated public transit-only lane—painted a distinctive red to warn motorists and cyclists to stay out. [More]

SEPTA Partners in 'Hub of Hope' for Homeless

Metro Transit Propels Super Bowl LII

Celebrating 25 Years of LA's Subway

Los Angeles Mayor and Los Angeles Metro Board Chair Eric Garcetti, joined by officials and community stakeholders, distributed complimentary farecards and commemorative lapel pins to Metro Red Line riders Jan. 29 in honor of the 25th anniversary of the subway line. [More]

New CEOs Named

TransTrack Systems and the Ohio Public Transit Association have named new chief executives. [More]

APTA NEWS

Save the Date: APTA to Host Mobility Summit

As part of APTA Chair Nathaniel P. Ford Sr.'s new mobility paradigm priority, APTA has announced “The Future of Mobility Summit: From Transit Authority to Mobility Authority,” a new event scheduled for July 12 in Washington, DC. Related programs may be scheduled the days before and after the summit. [More]

Speakers Named for APTA Legislative Conference

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and Reps. Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio (both D-OR) and Sam Graves (R-MO) will speak at the 2018 APTA Legis­lative Conference, March 18-20 at a new location: the Grand Hyatt Hotel in ­Washington, DC. [More]

APTA Award Nominations Due

Now is the time to nominate “the best of the best” individuals and organizations for the 2018 APTA Awards program, which recognizes excellence in the public transportation industry in North America. [More]

AROUND THE INDUSTRY

CTA Completes Wilson Station Reconstruction

The Chicago Transit ­Authority joined Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel Feb. 5 to announce the completion of the $203 million Wilson Station Recon­struction Project, which transformed an almost 100-year-old station into a centerpiece for the Uptown neighborhood. [More]

Uber Spearheads Collaborative Cincinnati Mobility Lab

Uber has joined with ­entities including the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority in Cincinnati and the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky in Fort Wright in a three-year partnership to launch an organization that will share data, conduct studies, engage employers and activate designers to help create an innovative and strategic transportation plan for the Cincinnati region. [More]

Ford Acquires TransLoc

Ford Motor Company recently acquired TransLoc, a Durham, NC-based provider of demand-response technology for city-owned microtransit solutions, as part of its Ford Mobility team. [More]

Keolis Graduates Largest Class of MBTA Assistant Conductors

Keolis Commuter Services recently graduated a class of 27 assistant conductors from its Somerville, MA, training facility for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), constituting the largest class in the ­history of MBTA’s commuter rail service. [More]

VW Settlement Could Mean More Alternative Fueled Buses in Colorado

Public transit agencies in Colorado hope to add to their bus fleets powered with electricity or CNG with part of Volkswagen’s $68.7 million payout to the state as a settlement for its violation of emissions laws. [More]

Palm Tran Honors MLK Jr. in Annual Parade

Throughout February, Black History Month, Palm Tran in West Palm Beach, FL, is honoring the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a specially decorated bus that debuted at the 2018 MLK Parade in Riviera Beach, FL. [More]

SunLine Unveils New, Long-Range Zero-Emission Bus

SunLine Transit Agency in Thousand Palms, CA, unveiled its newest zero-emission bus—representing the ninth generation of fuel cell buses placed in revenue service in the Coachella Valley—Feb. 2 in front of the agency’s administration building. [More]

CA Commuter Rail Agencies Receive State Grants

Five commuter rail agencies in California are receiving a combined $36.5 million in State Rail Assistance Grants from Caltrans, funded through Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), a statewide transportation funding law enacted in 2017. [More]

BART Opens Bike Facility in Contra Costa County

The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) recently opened its first bike facility in Contra Costa County, at the Pleasant Hill/Contra Costa Centre BART Station. [More]

Industry Briefs

COMMENTARY

The New Face of Public Transportation: We're in This Together

During APTA’s Annual Meeting & EXPO in Atlanta last October, I described how our industry is in the midst of the greatest transformation of our generation. [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 as space permits. [More]