APTA Partners with International Agencies

APTA capped off a week of meetings with international partners by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Association of the European Rail Industry (UNIFE). European Union officials hosted the signing of the MOU, which pledges further cooperation between APTA and UNIFE. APTA also met with delegations from Israeli, China, and Ireland. See the next issue of Passenger Transport for more details.

APTA Holds Webinar on DOT's Proposed Rulemaking

More than 130 members joined the third in APTA’s series of webinars on Nov. 6, collaborating to draft the APTA comments on FTA’s comprehensive ANPRM on transit asset management. The sheer breadth of this ANPRM, encompassing multiple new programs and 123 specific, multi-part questions, prompted APTA to initiate this series of five webinars, each dedicated to a specific part of the ANPRM. The next webinar is scheduled for Nov. 21. Sign up today at www.apta.com

APTA to Speak at U.S. Travel Assocation Conference on Transportation Infrastructure

The U.S. Travel Association will host a conference on "Connecting America Through Travel" in Washington, DC, from Nov. 19-20. APTA President & CEO Michael Melaniphy will speak on a panel about multimodal connectivity increasing business and group travel, and hotel revenue.

Senate Aging Committee Examines Transportation Challenges for Older Americans

The Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing Nov. 6 that examined the transportation challenges faced by older Americans. The committee focused particularly on those living in rural areas who do not have access to public transportation. 

SAVE THE DATE

APTA's 2014 Transit CEOs Seminar will be held Feb. 8-11 in New Orleans, LA.  Participation is reserved for chief executive officers and their deputies of APTA-member public transportation systems. Registration is now open!

IN THE MEDIA

Four-mile-long streetcars in Tucson, AZ, have already revitalized the city's downtown area, even though the light rail will not begin operating until next year. Cities as big as Los Angeles and as small as Norfolk, Va., are turning to streetcars and light rail lines to tie together neighborhoods, attract businesses, and lure residents.

Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority bus driver Darnell Barton heroically stopped his vehicle to talk a suicidal woman off a bridge in Buffalo, NY. Barton stepped out and approached the unresponsive woman before hugging her and getting her to agree to step off the ledge.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) recently launched the committee’s new website, which will amplify the message that investments in infrastructure are essential to America's global competitiveness.