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On September 17, the Senate passed its Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development appropriations bill for fiscal year 2010 (beginning October 1), which contains a record $11 billion for public transportation. The measure passed by a roll-call vote of 73-25.

The bill must next go to a House-Senate Conference committee before being submitted for the president's signature, possibly next week.

Among the recent Federal Transit Administration grants released under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are $25.6 million to Milwaukee County Transit Services for the purchase of 45 40-foot buses, a vehicle annunciator/passenger information system, spare bus parts, and computer hardware; $2.4 million for the Greater Lafayette (IN) Public Transportation Corporation, which covers replacement of three 40-foot buses, two support vehicles, hardware and software for fare collection, bus shelters, a phone system, and electrical system upgrades; $700,000 for an automated farebox system for 26 vehicles in the Riverside (CA) Transit Agency fleet; and $240,000 for the Transit Authority of River City in Louisville, KY, to purchase four 20-foot paratransit buses.

In a move that emphasizes the ability of the transportation sector to positively affect the nation's environmental profile, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson on September 15 proposed a new joint program to improve vehicle fuel economy and reduce greenhouse gases.
 
The plan would increase fuel economy by approximately five percent every year, cut greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 950 million metric tons, save the average car buyer more than $3,000 in fuel costs, and conserve 1.8 billion barrels of oil, according to a joint statement.

Annual Meeting Update: Still Time to Register

There is still time to register for the 2009 APTA Annual Meeting in Orlando. The Disney Institute will lead sessions on quality service and leading in turbulent times. In addition, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff will attend.

In the Media

Musician, former Talking Heads vocalist, and bicycle commuter David Byrne discussed his "dream city" with the Wall Street Journal.

On The Jay Leno Show, Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry talked about seeing her current partner for the first time on the side of a bus. And on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, Jennifer Aniston talked about seeing former co-star Courteney Cox in a bus advertisement.