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October 10, 2022 | An APTA Publication
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APTA’s TRANSform Conference Is Here!
Public transportation practitioners from around the world are gathering, connecting, engaging and learning in Seattle, WA, this week at APTA’s TRANSform Conference, the industry’s premier showcase of knowledge, technology, products and services. The event program includes cutting-edge educational sessions, renowned guest speakers and industry experts, technical tours and unparalleled networking opportunities. Keynote speakers and sessions explore a wealth of hot topics, including transformative technology, mental health awareness, community building, innovative funding and finance, safety and security, workforce development, worldwide mega projects and much more.
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Meet the New APTA Officers
APTA members voted for the 2022-2023 slate of officers at a meeting Oct. 8 during APTA’s TRANSform Conference. Dorval R. Carter Jr., president, Chicago Transit Authority, is APTA chair. Adelee Le Grand, CEO, Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority, Tampa, FL, is to serve as vice chair. Jeffrey A. Nelson, CEO/managing director, Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District (Metrolink), Moline, IL, will serve as immediate past chair. Jeffrey Wharton, director, contracts and technical services, Systra Engineering, is secretary-treasurer for 2022-2025.
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Welcoming APTA’s 2022 TRANSform to the Emerald City!
 King County Metro and our partners across the Puget Sound region are excited to welcome everyone to APTA’s 2022 TRANSform Conference, Oct. 9-12, in Seattle! As general manager, I’m excited to preview a few highlights of our system and share my own experience with the transformative power of transit. While you’re here, you’ll tour our integrated transit network that spans buses, light rail, a monorail, on-demand services, paratransit vehicles, streetcars, vanpools and water taxis. Each is a great way to explore our diverse neighborhoods, scenic mountain and water views, and hubs of culture, education and technology.
BY TERRY WHITE
General Manager
King County Metro
Seattle, WA
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COMMENTARY
Public Transit's Legacy: Service Before Self
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 “Leave the world a better place than you found it” is more than a life principle. After a two-year pandemic that exposed or accelerated societal, environmental and economic challenges, the adage has become a moral obligation for anyone in a leadership position. As APTA chair for the past 20 months, I have had the opportunity to make this both my own personal mantra and an aspirational goal for the public transportation industry. At the heart of “leaving the world better” is the belief that our greatest, most lasting achievements are the triumphs of those we serve. That’s true regardless of one’s title or responsibility. It’s also a fitting metaphor for how public transit transforms communities by serving people.
BY JEFFREY A. NELSON
Chair, APTA
CEO/Managing Director
Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District (MetroLink)
Moline, IL
| | |  | | White House to Hold Infrastructure Event
The White House Infrastructure Implementation Team is inviting APTA members to join a virtual White House Summit on Accelerating Infrastructure on Oct. 13, from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET. The event will feature announcements to accelerate the benefits of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and will include panel discussions with Biden-Harris Administration officials, elected leaders from state and local governments, and leaders from academia, labor and trade associations, including White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
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APTA, Coalition Urge for Assistance re Small Bus Supply Chain
APTA, together with CTAA, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and other industry partners, sent a letter to USDOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Oct. 3, to raise awareness of a severe shortage of small buses that threatens the operations of rural, small-city, paratransit and nonemergency medical transportation providers across the U.S.
“Today, the demand for small buses, particularly body-on-chassis vehicles, far outstrips supply, with estimates of 20,000 small bus purchases currently backlogged,” the letter stated. “We need your assistance in securing more chassis for the small bus marketplace so the trips to vital healthcare appointments (like dialysis), to congregate meal sites and grocery stores, to work and education, and to other social services that these types of buses typically serve can safely continue.”
The letter described how a recent survey reveals that three quarters of state DOTs are concerned about vehicle replacements and maintaining a state of good repair, with more than half of agencies having had a small bus purchasing contract or agreement terminated in 2022. In addition, prices for these vehicles are running 30-70 percent above pre-pandemic levels.
Industry partners shared in the letter a number of potential solutions to this issue, including encouraging chassis manufacturers to set aside units for vital public transportation and for small buses; and expanding FTA’s proposed Buy America general nonavailability waiver for passenger vans to include waiving Buy America requirements for small buses and vans when manufacturers are not able to guarantee delivery within 12 months of an order. This waiver could be used to incentivize manufacturers to locate production facilities in the U.S.
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APTA and Partners Voice Support for EV Chargers
APTA and several other organizations sent a letter last week to leaders at the Federal Highway Administration voicing their support for the Proposed Waiver of Buy America Requirements for Electric Vehicle (EV) Chargers. They said they support the goal of creating a more robust and resilient supply chain for the raw materials needed to manufacture electric vehicle chargers based on a diverse array of domestic suppliers as well as suppliers among U.S. allies and trade agreement partners. Creating such a supply chain, they added, including the items included in this waiver, is necessary to the success of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program.
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Leadership APTA Honors Class of 2022, Welcomes Class of 2023
Members of the Leadership APTA Class of 2022 will be honored Oct. 11 at the APTA Honors Luncheon held during APTA’s 2022 TRANSform Conference, where they will join a host of other public transit industry honorees being recognized for their accomplishments.
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| | APTF Announces 42 Scholarship Recipients
The American Public Transportation Foundation (APTF) is presenting more than $320,000 in scholarships—the largest amount since the foundation’s inception in 1988—to 42 recipients, who represent the diverse specializations required to sustain and grow the public transit workforce. Many of the 2022 scholars are attending APTA’s TRANSform Conference. During the conference, APTF will hold its annual fundraiser and reception following the Oct. 9 Welcome Reception and will recognize the scholarship recipients during the Oct. 11 APTA Honors Luncheon.
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APTA Announces AdWheel Grand Award Winners
APTA will recognize the 2022 AdWheel Grand Award Winners at the Oct. 11 APTA Honors Luncheon at TRANSform. APTA’s AdWheel Awards recognize the strategic importance of marketing and communications initiatives that advance the organizational goals of APTA members.
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APTA Announces New VP of Workforce Development & Educational Services
APTA has announced that Carita Ducre will join its senior leadership team as Vice President of Workforce Development and Educational Services, effective Jan. 2.
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APTA Member Profile
This special TRANSform Conference issue of Passenger Transport features a profile of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency. Jeffrey Tumlin serves as director of transportation and Julie Kirschbaum serves as director of transit.
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DART and DCTA Approve Joint Rail Operations Facility
The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Board of Directors has approved an inter-local agreement with the Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) for a Joint Rail Operations Facility for testing, operations and maintenance of the new Stadler Fast Light Intercity and Regional Train commuter rail vehicles for the DART Silver Line regional rail project currently under construction.
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Cristina, DCTA
 The Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA), Lewisville, TX, has appointed Paul Cristina as its new president and chief executive officer. Cristina has led the agency as interim CEO since March.
Prior to joining DCTA as deputy CEO, Cristina served as director of public private partnerships at BNSF Railway Company. Before BNSF, Cristina served as a civil engineer officer in the United States Air Force and worked as a civil engineer and planning consultant in Florida.
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Elkin, Pasco County Public Transportation
 Pasco County Public Transportation (GoPasco), Pasco County, FL, has confirmed Jannina Elkin as its new director. Elkin previously worked for public transportation in Pasco County for 10 years, before heading to Hernando County, where she served as transportation coordinator.
Elkin was born and raised in Peru, before moving to the U.S. in 1996. She has 20 years of experience in the public transportation industry.
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Aubin, RATP Dev USA
 RATP Dev USA has announced the appointment of Cyril Aubin as its new chief executive officer. Aubin is a RATP Group executive with more than 20 years of industry experience.
Aubin joins RATP Dev from Hong Kong, where he served as managing director of Hong Kong Tramways, a heritage system used by more than 55 million annual customers. Under his leadership, several projects were initiated, including asset modernization, business diversification, supply chain optimization and digitalization.
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Lopez-Bernal, Icomera
 Icomera has named Gabriel J. Lopez-Bernal as president of Icomera US Inc. Prior to this appointment, he served as Icomera’s regional vice president of sales & marketing, and sales director of road and transit markets.
Lopez-Bernal previously spent a decade as a consultant with TranSystems, USDOT’s John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, and the Corradino Group. For APTA, he serves on the Mobility Management, Bus Operations, Research & Technology and Fare Collection Systems committees, among others.
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| | | | More in This Issue of Passenger Transport:
| | Passenger Transport Wishes to Thank its Advertisers:
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