DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx set off on a bus road trip on April 14 for a five-day tour, “Invest in America, Commit to the Future,” to call attention to the nation’s crumbling infrastructure, pending expiration of MAP-21, and dwindling Highway Trust Fund, which he said is “going to be in a hole” at the end of August. [More]

The Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority (LYNX) joined with the city of Orlando on April 10 to introduce a ­second LYMMO Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) downtown circulator line—the Grapefruit Line, which operates on an east-west route, joining the existing north-south Orange Line. [More]

Community Transit Offers Support After Mudslide

In the aftermath of the mudslide that killed 39 people as of April 16 and destroyed much of Oso, WA, Community Transit, which serves Snohomish County, has provided vans to transport emergency personnel to and from the affected area, and created a temporary emergency route to serve riders who live in communities near the mudslide site. [More]

Commuter Rail Leaders Consider FRA ‘Deep Dive’

APTA, on behalf of FRA, convened the leadership of U.S. commuter railroads on April 14 to discuss the lessons learned from “Operation Deep Dive,” FRA’s 60-day evaluation of MTA Metro-North Railroad and an unprecedented assessment of a railroad’s operations, systems, and culture. [More]

Skinner to Retire from TRB

Robert E. Skinner Jr., executive director, Transportation Research Board, has announced his plans to retire at the end of January 2015. [More]

Tampa Interim GM Named

The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority Board of Directors, Tampa, FL, has appointed Chief Operating Officer Katharine Eagan as interim chief executive officer after current CEO Philip R. Hale retires effective May 2. [More]

APTA MEMBER PROFILE

Meet Amy Miller!

This is the latest in an ongoing series of columns showcasing APTA members. The subject of this profile is Amy Miller, managing director, marketing and sales operations, Clever Devices Ltd., a member of the APTA Marketing and Communications and Sustainability committees and the Marketing-Advertising Revenue Task Force. [More]

AROUND THE INDUSTRY

Reno Welcomes Battery-Electric Buses

The Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County (RTC) welcomed the first four battery-electric buses to its fleet in ceremonies April 14 in downtown Reno, NV. [More]

AVTA Adds New TRANSporter Stop

The Antelope Valley Transit Authority, Lancaster, CA, recently expanded its North County TRANSporter service to the Santa Clarita Valley by adding a stop at the new McBean Regional Transit Center on three of the service’s 10 daily trips. The midday bus service connects the Antelope Valley to the Newhall Metrolink Station. [More]

INIT, Bytemark Partner in Austin

INIT and Bytemark recently partnered to implement a new mobile ticketing project for the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Capital Metro) in Austin, TX. [More]

APTA Members’ Ethics Honored

The Ethisphere Institute, an independent center of research promoting best practices in corporate ethics and governance, recently included four APTA member companies on its list of World’s Most Ethical Companies® for 2014. [More]

COMMENTARY

There’s a Future for High-Speed Rail: Millennials aren’t driving as much and may turn to trains

Two questions: Why doesn’t our nation have more passenger trains? And does the younger generation’s declining interest in driving imply an opening for the expansion of public high-speed rail? [More]