APTA held a successful Bus & Paratransit Conference and
International Bus Roadeo in Reno, NV, May 5-10. APTA Chair Doran J. Barnes, executive director, Foothill Transit, opened the conference and thanked Lee Gibson, executive director, RTC of Washoe County, and his staff for hosting the conference. Barnes told the audience how "important they are to the people in their communities and throughout the country" saying that "where public transportation goes, community grows."
U.S. Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) greeted attendees at the opening reception on Sunday. At the Opening General session on Monday, Reno Mayor
Hillary Schieve and Sparks Mayor Pro Tem and Chair of the RTC Board Ron Smith welcomed APTA and stressed the importance of public transit investment in communities throughout the nation. U.S. Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) spoke about the political climate in Washington and urged attendees to have their voices heard on Capitol Hill. U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D) sent videotaped greetings. Gibson encouraged attendees to experience his system's services while in Reno.
APTA Acting
President & CEO Richard White presented an overview of APTA's ongoing advocacy efforts in Washington, including the good news that just prior to the conference Congress had approved full funding for FTA programs at or above the levels authorized in the original FAST Act for FY17. "The is a great victory for public transportation, but we must continue to fight for full funding in the FY18 budget and for an infrastructure initiative," White said.
Conference
highlights included a session with FTA Executive Director Matt Welbes and other FTA representatives, the Products & Services
Showcase with 135 exhibitors, a Bus Display with 28 vehicles, the largest ever bus roadeo, and sessions on such issues as
automated bus shuttles, reimagining bus service, new
strategies for building and retaining ridership, and partnerships with new
technology companies. More coverage of the conference will appear in the next issue of Passenger Transport.
The
International Bus Roadeo top winners are:
> Overall Excellence
- Grand Champion —
Regional Transportation District, Denver, CO
- 2nd Place Honors —
Oahu Transit, Honolulu, HI
- 3rd Place Honors —
Orange County Transportation Authority, Orange County, CA
> 40-foot Bus Operator, 1st Place —
Kyle Jones,
Riverside Transit Agency, Riverside, CA
> 35-foot Bus Operator, 1st Place —
Douglas Rego, Oahu Transit, Honolulu, HI
> Maintenance Team, 1st Place — Regional Transportation District, Denver, CO
The Customer Service Challenge winner was:
>
Benito Zavalza, OMNITRANS, San Bernardino, CA
APTA
also announced the following winners of the 2017 Bus Safety & Security
Excellence Awards:
GOLD Awards for Safety:
> San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, San Diego, CA (more than 20 million trips annually)
> Greater Bridgeport Transit, Bridgeport, CT (more than 4 million and fewer than 20 million trips annually)
> Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority, Birmingham, AL (fewer than 4 million trips annually)
GOLD Award for Security:
> Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, Kansas City, MO (more than 4 million and fewer than 20 million trips annually)
Certificates of Merit for Safety Excellence:
> Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, Cleveland, OH (more than 20 million trips annually)
> Maryland Transit Administration, Baltimore, MD (more than 20 million trips annually)
> Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, Kansas City, MO (more than 4 million and fewer than 20 million trips annually)
Certificates of Merit for Security:
> Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Chicago, IL (more than 20 million trips annually)
> Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority, Dayton, OH (more than 4 million and fewer than 20 million trips annually)
> Southwest Ohio Transit Authority (Metro), Cincinnati, OH (more than 4 million and fewer than 20 million trips annually)
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