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April 24, 2023 | An APTA Publication
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APTA Welcomes Mobility Professionals to Minneapolis!
APTA is excited to welcome hundreds of public transportation professionals to its 2023 Mobility Conference, April 23-26, Minneapolis, MN, hosted by Metro Transit. Ahead of the event, Passenger Transport invited a broad cross-section of APTA members to discuss their priorities and initiatives in the rapidly evolving mobility landscape.
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Finding Hope as We Learn—and Ride—Together in the Twin Cities
 After our long, cold winter months, spring is always a hopeful time in the Twin Cities. As hosts, it’s our goal to help you capture some of that hopefulness during your time here at APTA’s Mobility Conference so you return with renewed enthusiasm for improving transit in the communities you serve. Here at the Metropolitan Council and Metro Transit, we have many reasons to look forward with optimism. Ridership is steadily growing, especially in corridors where we’ve invested in faster, more frequent service. More job seekers are coming to us ready to start new chapters in their careers as operators, technicians and police officers. And continued investments in public transit will help us maintain our system while expanding our light rail and bus rapid transit network in the coming years.
BY CHARLES A. ZELLE
Chair, Metropolitan Council
St. Paul, MN
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Nominations Open for APTA Awards!
APTA is accepting nominations for the APTA Awards! These annual awards recognize excellence in the public transportation industry in the U.S. and Canada, honoring role models of leadership and innovation whose accomplishments have greatly advanced public transportation. Nominations are open until July 7.
Newly launched for 2023 is the Excellence in Inclusive Collaboration Award. This award jointly honors a public transit agency member, along with disadvantaged business enterprise members and a private-sector prime firm member who have demonstrated excellence in inclusion, collaboration and partnership to deliver outstanding results and accomplishment enriched by diversity.
This year also features revised categories for Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement. Categories are:
- Outstanding Public Transportation Manager
- Outstanding Public Transportation Board Member
- Outstanding Public Transportation Business Member
- Distinguished Service Awards (State and Local)
- Hall of Fame
- Innovation
- Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement
- Excellence in Inclusive Collaboration
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COMMENTARY
Paving the Way for Mobility in the Sunshine City—and Beyond
 Bus Rapid Transit has advanced throughout the U.S. in the last decade, particularly among mid-sized metropolitan areas. As the first of its kind in the Tampa Bay region, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority’s (PSTA) BRT is so much more than a commute—it’s quickly becoming our area’s “Best Regional Transportation.” When you think of Florida, I’m sure many things come to mind: lush beaches, thrilling theme parks and ample sunshine, among them. For us in Pinellas County, anchored by the city of St. Petersburg (also known as the Sunshine City), rapid population growth is something that has been—and continues to be—top of mind. As Florida’s most densely populated county, our agency has traveled a long road to create a transportation option that serves this rapid growth in a region long-known for its lack of cohesive public transport.
BY BRAD MILLER
Chief Executive Officer
Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority
St. Petersburg, FL
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In Memoriam
Bud Shuster, Former House T&I Committee Chair
 Former U.S. Rep. Bud Shuster (R-PA) died April 19 at the age of 91. He led the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) from 1995 to 2001, where he was a champion for all modes of transportation. He was regarded as one of the most powerful leaders in Congress during his tenure.
Shuster shepherded an aggressive effort to increase investment in surface transportation infrastructure, including public transportation. He led the effort to ensure that Congress invested significant balances in the Highway Trust Fund in critically needed highway and transit projects, and he was a primary author of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA 21), enacted in 1998.
He was elected to the 93rd Congress in January of 1973, and served in 14 succeeding congresses until February 2001. He was succeeded in Congress by his son, former U.S. Congressman Bill Shuster (R-PA), who also rose to become chair of the T&I Committee.
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APTA Risk Management Committee Webinar on APTA/Aon Liability Benchmark Study
The APTA Risk Management Committee is hosting a webinar on the APTA/Aon Liability Benchmark Study May 9, 2:00–3:30 p.m. Eastern. The webinar will share the detailed results of the study.
Since 2016, APTA, in co-operation with Aon’s Global Risk Management Consulting Group, has performed a study of public transit liability that results in a one-of-a-kind benchmark report. APTA partners with Aon to collect and analyze the data.
The APTA/Aon Liability Benchmark Study offers public transit systems metrics to compare their respective risk profiles against those of other systems. It also provides information to reinforce and maintain standards of practice and safety levels, in order to potentially reduce the overall cost of risk.
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Spotlight on APTA's Mid-Size Operations Committee
 This issue of Passenger Transport features a profile of APTA’s Mid-Size Operations Committee, chaired by Dawn Distler, chief executive officer, METRO Regional Transit Authority, Akron, OH.
The committee provides a forum for discussion, information dissemination and other activities of mutual interest to mid-size operators and sets the direction for APTA activities that benefit all mid-size operators.
APTA Staff Advisors: Lisa Jerram, senior director, bus operations and new vehicle technologies; Tdisho Pendleton, program manager–technical services, technical services & innovation department.
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CDTA Breaks Ground on Region’s First Mobility Center
The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA), Albany, NY, and Schenectady County Metroplex Development Authority have broken ground on the Capital Region’s first mobility center, one year after Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), CDTA and community partners from the City of Schenectady announced plans for the center.
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NYMTA Completes Renovation of Grand Street Subway Station
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (NYMTA) has completed a renovation of the Grand Street subway station in Chinatown under New York City Transit’s Re-NEW-vation campaign that brings targeted resources to rebuilt station components within a 55-hour window.
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New APTA Guide for Engaging with Electric Utilities
APTA has created a new resource for its members, a “Checklist for Engaging on Fleet Electrification.” The guide was developed to give public transit agencies a clear idea of what they need to know to form an effective partnership with their utility.
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The Impact of ATE Management and its African American Transit Pioneers
ATE Management & Service Company, Inc. (ATE) was formed in early 1970, led by Dave Ringo and a small group of public transit executives who had worked for Allen and Company, owners of city transit systems including those in Nashville, TN; Wilmington, DE; Omaha, NE, Richmond, VA; and Northern Kentucky. With a few notable exceptions, city transit systems at the time were owned by investors and managed by white males. The relatively small group of ATE founders assumed operating positions for initial contracts, and that is when the transformation of ATE from a white-male dominated company to one that more accurately represented the profile of U.S. urban transit began.
BY PHIL RINGO
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Brookville Delivers New Streetcars to Portland
Brookville Equipment Corporation has delivered the first of three new Liberty NXT Streetcars to Portland Streetcar. The 66-foot-long vehicles are part of a $13.6 million contract for the design and build of the three streetcars for the Portland Streetcar transit system as part of a joint procurement with Sound Transit.
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TCRP Publishes New Reports
Sponsored by FTA, the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) serves as a means for the public transportation industry to develop innovative near-term solutions to a multitude of demands. TCRP reports and other tools help public transportation practitioners solve problems and inform decision-makers.
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Transit CEOs Seminar
May 19-21, Houston, TX
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Rail Conference
Presented by HNTB
June 11-14, Pittsburgh, PA
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Passenger Rail Engineering
Education Symposium (p-REES)
July 11-13
Washington, DC
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Transit Board Members
& Board Administrators Seminar
July 15-18, Birmingham, AL
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APTAtech
July 30-Aug. 2, Anaheim, CA |
Sustainability / Operations Planning
and Scheduling Workshop
July 30-Aug. 2, Anaheim, CA
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Study Mission to Australia,
New Zealand
Aug. 2-15
Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney
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TRANSform Conference & EXPO
Presented by HNTB
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Passenger Transport Wishes to Thank its Advertisers:
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