Nov. 27-30 is APTA’s Industry Leadership Week, with a series of events in Washington, DC, that will bring together public transportation and associated leaders to discuss and address the issues and trends transforming public transit and the community. [More]

FTA Issues Letter on Drug Testing Rate

On Oct. 17, FTA issued a Dear Colleague letter to the public transit industry stating that the mandated minimum rate for ­random drug testing for safety sensitive positions will increase from 25 percent to 50 percent, effective Jan. 1, 2019. [More]

Survey: Students Would Rather Not Drive

In a recent survey of almost 600 college and university students in Southern California, 90 percent said they would consider using public transit instead of driving if it were reliable, affordable, convenient and safe. [More]

Effective Cybersecurity Resilience Planning Starts with Employees

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Mike Echols, former director, Cyber Joint Program Management Office, National Protection and Program Directorate, DHS, outlines the important role employees play in enhancing cybersecurity risk management in ­public transportation. [More]

New York MTA, Business Leaders Launch Tech Lab

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority has joined with the city’s business community to launch the nation’s first Transit Tech Lab, which will identify and test new technology to help modernize the city’s public transportation network and contribute to improved services and a better customer experience. [More]

Bendix to Acquire ProSteering

Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC, a member of the Knorr-Bremse Group, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the ProSteering business of JM Engineered Products, a Lebanon, TN-based remanufacturer of all-makes power steering systems for the North American commercial vehicle market. [More]

New CEOs Announced

RailPros and WTS International have announced new chief executives, while ClasTran, Birmingham, AL, and Metrolink in Los Angeles have named interim leaders. [More]

San Joaquin RTD Starts 'Van Go!' Pilot

The San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD), Stockton, CA, has joined with Ecolane to introduce “RTD Van Go!”, a mobility-on-demand rideshare program, on a pilot basis, scheduled to expand service throughout the county in January 2019. [More]

HART's TECO Streetcar Enters 'New Era'

The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) in Tampa, FL, announced a “New Era of Transit” for its TECO Line Streetcar System—including three years of free fares and expanded service—at a recent ribbon-cutting celebration. [More]

Cherriots Welcomes New CNG Buses

The Salem Area (OR) Mass Transit District, which operates as Cherriots, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to welcome the first eight of 20 new CNG-powered buses to its fleet. [More]

LA Metro Breaks Ground on BRT Improvements

Los Angeles Metro broke ground recently on the Metro Orange Line Improvements Project, which will improve bus speeds and safety on the BRT line in the San Fernando Valley and prepare the line for a future conversion to light rail. [More]

SamTrans Debuts First Electric Bus

In advance of its planned implementation of a fully zero-emission bus fleet, the San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans), San Carlos, CA, invited the press aboard one of its new Proterra electric battery-powered buses for a rolling news conference. [More]

TCRP Announces Upcoming Webinars

The Transit Cooperative Research Project has announced two webinars, focusing on TCRP Synthesis 130: Battery Electric Buses—State of the Practice, and “Examining the Effects of Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Brokerages on Transportation Coordination.” [More]

New Report from TCRP

TCRP recently posted the pre-publication draft of the two volumes of TCRP Research Report 200, Contracting Commuter Rail Services. [More]

Webinar: Changes to FTA Section 106 Reviews of Transit Projects in Rail Right-of-Way

FTA will host a webinar 2-3:30 p.m. ET Thurs. Oct. 25 on the recently issued “Program Comment Exempting the Effects of Transportation Projects in Rail Right-of-Way. [More]

FTA Releases Updated Noise and Vibration Manual

FTA has released an updated version of The Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment Manual, which outlines procedures for predicting and assessing the noise and vibration impacts of proposed public transit projects as part of its environmental review process. [More]

In Memoriam: McNutt, 22 Years with Ricon

Larry McNutt, 69, of San Fernando, CA, sales manager-commercial products for Ricon, died Oct. 5. [More]

COMMENTARY

Mobility Is More than a Service--It Can Have Profound Outcomes

BY ROB GANNON
General Manager
King County Metro Transit Division/DOT
Seattle

King County Metro and public transit agencies across the nation are transitioning out of their traditional role. By harnessing emerging technologies and service models, we’re beginning to offer our customers new mobility options that can have far-reaching outcomes for society. [More]

APTA FEATURES

APTA's Bus Technical Maintenance Committee

This is the latest in a series of columns showcasing APTA committees. The subject of this profile is the Bus Technical Maintenance Committee, chaired since 2016 by Jerry Guaracino, deputy chief engineering officer, SEPTA. [More]

Putting Innovation to Work In Public Transportation; APTA Launches Pilot Modules, Virtual Workforce Development Pilot Site

Since last fall, APTA has focused on two strategic workforce initiatives: envisioning and creating online learning resources that will impact tomorrow’s workforce and investigating new models for industry certification and credentialing programs. [More]

APTA's Canadian Study Mission: Infrastructure Development

APTA traveled north of the border in July in search of lessons about public transit infrastructure development. At this year’s APTA Annual Meeting, Immediate Past Chair Nathaniel P. Ford Sr. and President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas hosted a panel discussion about the six-day, 30-member delegation. [More]

AROUND THE INDUSTRY

50 Years of GCRTA Service to Airport

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) has launched a promotion honoring its 50 years as the first public transit system in the Western Hemisphere to offer direct rail service between its central business district and an international airport. [More]

Pierce Transit Reopens Park-and-Ride

Pierce Transit in Lakewood, WA, recently reopened its 30-year-old State Route 512 Park & Ride and Transit Center in Lakewood following an extensive renovation, which was completed ahead of schedule. [More]

C-TRAN Institutes Cigarette Butt Recycling Program

C-TRAN in Vancouver, WA, has found a way to recycle the thousands of discarded cigarette butts collected at Vine BRT station receptacles with the help of TerraCycle, a New Jersey-based recycling company that specializes in hard-to-recycle waste. [More]

In St. Louis, Students Design TOD with Hip-Hop Influences

At a recent reception, Metro Transit in St. Louis and the St. Louis County Library recognized students who participated in a week-long “Hip-Hop Architecture Camp” and their ideas about how TOD should look around a ­public transit facility. [More]

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Who's Doing What in the Industry

Passenger Transport announces the following hirings and promotions in public transportation agencies and business members. Items appear in People on the Move as space permits. [More]