Music City USA was playing APTA’s song when more than 2,300 public transit professionals and business leaders gathered in Nashville, TN, for the association’s 2018 Annual Meeting, Sept. 23-26. The event included three keynote speakers, 31 concurrent sessions, a presentation by FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams, 123 exhibitors and more than 350 first-time attendees. [More]

COMMENTARY

A Year Dedicated to Serving the People Who Serve People

BY DAVID M. STACKROW SR.
APTA Chair
Immediate Past Chair, Capital District Transportation Authority, Albany, NY

This is a remarkable time for public transportation and for APTA. This past year, Immediate Past Chair Nat Ford showed us a glimpse of what lies ahead and gave us a foundation to build upon with his five priorities. Paul Skoutelas has brought a new kind of energy and optimism to his role as president and CEO. [More]

NEWS HEADLINES

NJ Transit's Corbett Testifies on PTC

Kevin Corbett, executive director of New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ Transit), testified on his agency’s experience in implementing PTC at an Oct. 3 hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, chaired by Sen. John Thune (R-SD). [More]

'50x50' Promotes Cutting U.S. Energy Consumption

The Alliance to Save Energy released a report Sept. 26 in conjunction with the launch of its “50x50” campaign to cut U.S. transportation energy use by 50 percent by 2050 while also improving mobility. [More]

Following Florence, Public Transit Delivers Relief

When Hurricane Florence struck the Carolinas and southern Virginia last month, public transit agencies were quick to respond, conducting evacuations and other much-needed relief efforts. Here is a story of how one APTA member worked tirelessly to serve its community. [More]

DOT Releases Automated Vehicle Guidance

On Oct. 4, DOT released “Preparing for the Future of Transportation: Automated Vehicles 3.0” (AV 3.0), new federal guidance for automated vehicles that builds upon—but does not replace—voluntary guidance provided in “Automated Driving Systems 2.0: A Vision for Safety.” [More]

Spokane Opens New Transit Center

The Spokane (WA) Transit Authority marked the implementation of region-wide service improvements with a ribbon-cutting event in late September at the West Plains Transit Center site, which also includes a 200-space park-and-ride lot. [More]

Skoutelas Presents at Innotrans in Berlin

APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas presented an overview of the U.S. rail market and trends and signed a new Memorandum of Understanding between APTA and UNIFE (Association of the European Rail Industry) at Innotrans 2018, the world’s largest rail technology and infrastructure expo, which convened recently in Berlin. [More]

FTA Schedules Oct. 16 Webinar on Access Grants

FTA will host a webinar to provide more information about its competitive funding opportunity for Access and Mobility Partnership Grants Tuesday, Oct. 16, beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern time. [More]

FTA Recognizes Rural Agencies

Monterey-Salinas Transit, Monterey, CA, and the North Central Regional Transit District in Española, NM, are among the rural public transit systems recognized Oct. 1 by FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams for exemplifying good community service. [More]

MVTA Introduces Direct Service to College

Students at Dakota County Technical College (DCTC) in Rosemount, MN, have sought a direct bus route for several years and, as of the beginning of this academic year, the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA) in Burnsville, MN, is providing it. [More]

Midwest Bus Hosts Sen. Peters

During a tour of Midwest Bus Corporation facilities in Owosso, MI, Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) learned firsthand about the largest contract in the company’s 38-year history: a $40 million-plus, 155-bus remanufacturing project for Boston’s Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. [More]

New CEOs Announced

St. Louis Metro and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials have named new chief executives. [More]

COVERAGE OF THE 2018 APTA ANNUAL MEETING

FTA's Williams Addresses Agency Priorities and Perspectives

FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams kicked off the Sept. 24 “FTA Update” General Session by telling attendees how important the industry’s work is “to the people you serve on a daily basis, but even more importantly, in times of an emergency,” referring to evacuations transit agencies provided in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence. [More]

Zimmer: Establishing Communication

How can people of different ages communicate in the workplace if they don’t speak the same language? Scott Zimmer, generational expert with BridgeWorks III LLC, offered practical solutions at the Sept. 24 General Session during the APTA Annual Meeting. [More]

Moving Forward from APTA's 'Future of Mobility' Summit

Speakers at a Sept. 24 session reported on the dialogue into new technical and delivery models that followed APTA’s July 12 summit, “The Future of Mobility—From Transit Authority to Mobility Integrator.” [More]

Looking at Public Transit's Value Through a New Lens

What metrics should public transportation professionals use to measure the success of their agencies? Agency chief executives joined policy analysts to address this question at a Sept. 26 session, “Measuring Public Transportation’s Value.” [More]

Building a High-Impact Transit Board-CEO Governing Team

Leaders of the Capital District Transportation Authority, Albany, NY, and management consultant Doug Eadie shared their experiences in creating a strong bond between the agency’s chief executive officer and board of directors at a Sept. 25 educational session. [More]

Transit Ballot Measures: Positioning for Future Success

What does it take to win the voters’ approval of a public transit ballot initiative? That’s a question being asked within many agencies as the November elections approach and communities begin to plan for 2020. [More]

Big Data Helps Reveal Value of Public Transit

Regina Clewlow, chief executive officer and co-founder, Populus, a data platform for private mobility operators and cities, delivered an opening presentation on how public transit agencies can cope with the “disruptions” of transportation network companies and other nontraditional modes at the Sept. 26 Closing General Session, “Discovering Transit’s Value Messages in Big Data.” [More]

Attracting and Retaining Tomorrow's Workforce

“No matter what technology you have, if you don’t have the right people it’s all for nothing,” said Bacarra Sanderson Mauldin, member of the APTA Executive Committee and board member of the Birmingham (AL) Regional Paratransit Consortium dba ClasTran, in her opening remarks at the Sept. 24 “Envisioning the Workforce in the Mobility Landscape” session. [More]

A Triumph of Technology at Breakfast

Robin Chase, co-founder and former CEO of Zipcar, spoke about how transportation technology has transformed life—citing carsharing, autonomous vehicles, public transit apps and electric battery power—in her remarks before the Sept. 26 Wednesday Wake Up Breakfast co-presented by the Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS). [More]

AdWheel Recognizes Marketing Achievements

APTA honored the eight groups of AdWheel Grand Award winners at a Monday afternoon session. [More]

Public Transit--New, Now and in the Future

The public transportation world came to Nashville, TN, Sept. 23-26 to learn about what’s new in public transit and how to keep up with a growing, shifting transportation sector. Click the link below.

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Make Plans to Attend APTA's Industry Leadership Week!

The public transit industry will come together Nov. 27-30 in Washington, DC, to engage in several unique learning and networking opportunities centered around APTA's Industry Leadership Summit. Learn more here. [More]