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| March 14, 2014 |
| NEWS HEADLINES |
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APTA Members Advocate for Public Transit at Conference
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More than 675 industry professionals came to Washington, DC,
to participate in educational sessions regarding the state of public
transportation legislation and to hear from members of Congress as part
of the 39th Annual APTA Legislative Conference, March 9-11. Among the speakers were DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx, FRA Administrator Joseph Szabo, FTA Deputy Administrator Therese McMillan, House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chair Bill Shuster (R-PA), Highways & Transit Subcommittee Ranking Member Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR).
Several of the sessions were covered by C-SPAN.
Also at the conference, APTA unveiled its new advocacy outreach campaign, as part of its efforts to get a strong surface transportation bill passed in Congress.
See the next issue of Passenger Transport for more coverage. |
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Record 10.7 Billion Trips Taken on Public Transportation
Also at the Legislative Conference, APTA Chair Peter Varga and President & CEO Michael Melaniphy announced that Americans took 10.7 billion trips on public transportation in 2013, 115 million more than in the previous year. It the highest annual ridership number since 1956. More
than 1600 media outlets reported on the latest ridership figures.
Ridership increased across all modes: heavy rail by 2.8 percent; commuter rail, 2.1 percent; light rail, 1.6 percent; bus in cities with a population below 100,000, 3.8 percent; and demand response (paratransit), 0.5 percent.
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Holds Reauthorization Roundtable
APTA President & CEO Michael Melaniphy participated in an engaging discussion on Capitol Hill on March 13, led by House Transportation and Committee Chair Bill Shuster (R-PA) on policy priorities for the next surface transportation authorization bill. Joining Melaniphy as roundtable panelists were Bud Wright, executive director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials; DeLania Hardy, executive director, Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations; and Matthew
Chase, executive director, National Association of Counties.
SAVE THE DATE
Registration is open for APTA's 2014 Bus & Paratransit Conference May 4-7 in Kansas City, MO. Workshops and sessions cover timely issues of widespread
interest in policy and planning, maintenance, safety and security,
procurement, Bus Rapid Transit, and accessible public transportation. The conference also features the industry's premier bus display and exhibitor showcase. Sign up now!
IN THE MEDIA
Californians are more frequently taking public transit, walking, and biking as auto trips fall.
Public transportation trends demand new funding solutions.
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