It Is Renewal Time! October Membership Renewal and Directory Updates

Invoices are due October 1. We are also starting to prepare the Membership Directory for print. Please make sure to review your member profile to ensure all of the information is correct. This information is used in the printed Membership Directory and our digital directory.

Important Due Dates:

• October 1, 2023: Renewal invoice payment due.
• October 15, 2023: Membership directory updates deadline.

If you need a copy of your invoice or want to renew online, please click here for instructions. Information on how to update your profile is also included in that link.

The PBA Marketplace two-day event will be held March 25-26, 2024, hosted by The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau!

Monday, March 25 will be set-up day for exhibitors, our Intro to Marketplace Seminar for those new to Marketplace and a new Best Practices Roundtable discussion for experienced Marketplace attendees, PBA’s Board of Director meeting and an evening reception for all!

Tuesday, March 26 will be the main event, our Group Leader Marketplace at Nittany Valley Sports Centre. This is a new facility in State College. We think you will love it!

Exhibitors, reserve a booth by October 31 to qualify for early bird pricing! This is also the deadline for the special promo pricing if you attended our Annual Conference in Jamestown, NY this year. The value is $100 off your booth, so don’t forget to apply the code when registering. 

PBA Member, Gettysburg Tours new Tour Center building is transforming. The blue eye sore will be gone soon, as the builders have started with the exterior bricks. They are still on schedule for a December completion and a spring opening. Check out the pictures on Facebook.

We are saddened to hear PBA Member, R&J Transportation, Inc. and R&J Tours will end their 40-year journey of providing motorcoach charter & tours to their devoted customers at the end of this year. Of special note, they will continue their school bus transportation services.

R&J Transportation is committed to ensuring that their customers are not left in the lurch. All prepaid tours and charter trips scheduled for 2024 will be fully refunded. We wish Jay and his team the best on this transition and in all future endeavors! Read more...

PBA Member Trans-Bridge Lines announced that they added enhancements to their online ticketing platform which will improve their passengers' experience! See their Facebook post.

These changes took effect Thursday, September 21:

• All customers may add their tickets to the Apple or Google wallet on their phone.
• Passengers will have the ability to depart or arrive at alternate locations on their Commuter Passes. You will no longer be limited to only the location points purchased. 

PBA Member TEMSA and CaetanoBus have announced they are about to launch a jointly-developed fuel cell coach in 2024. The vehicle will be based on the battery-electric Temsa HD12, with fuel cell technology coming from CaetanoBus partner (and shareholder) Toyota. Read more...

Have You Contacted Your Senators and Representatives Yet?

Senators. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Bob Casey, Jr. (D-Pa.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) introduced the Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services (CERTS) Tax Exemption Act in the Senate (S.1944). S.1944 is companion legislation to the House bill (H.R. 3510) re-introduced in May.

Bill H.R. 3510, reintroduction of a bill that would eliminate the tax burden for those who received CERTS Act money during the pandemic, was referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means after being sponsored by Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.). The bill has since garnered the support of Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), Jared Golden (R-Maine), Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), and John Rose (R-Tenn.).

The House bill currently has 13 sponsors, and the Senate bill has 5 sponsors. We need your help to advocate for our industry! Please contact your Senators and ask them to support S. 1944 and contact your Representatives and ask them to support H.R. 3510. Below are two easy forms that will only take a few minutes of your time to complete.

TSA Free Training Session on their Exercise Information System (EXIS) Platform 

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is offering an upcoming training session on how to utilize their Exercise Information System (EXIS) platform. 

EXIS is a FREE online exercise tool that guides users through the exercise (discussion tabletop to functional exercises) planning process and provides resources to design, document and evaluate exercises for all transportation modes. EXIS is designed to provide transportation operators with a scalable exercise design process that allows them to plan, conduct, and evaluate their operations against clear and consistent performance measures. *In addition, EXIS provides users with exercise design and conduct resources. 

Incorporating exercises into your operation is a great way to test your security plans/Emergency operations plans. 

Date/Time: November 8, 2023 1:00 PM

Location: Virtual

Cost: $0.00

Register: Send an email to Alena Kent, Transportation Security Inspector – Surface TSA - Department of Homeland Security, at Alena.Kent@tsa.dhs.gov.

The website for the platform is https://exis.tsa.dhs.gov/ Feel free to sign-up to become a registered user and explore the platform prior to the training event.

PennDOT Data Shows Pennsylvania Roundabouts Reducing Fatalities, Injuries, and Crashes 

PennDOT recently reviewed data for 36 single-lane and six multi-lane roundabouts on state routes at intersections that were previously stop or signal controlled. This update to data released in 2022 now includes an additional seven roundabouts. These intersections were selected based on having at least three years of crash data available before and after the roundabouts were built. This accounts for a total of 460 before years and 250 after years of data. Read more...

It’s Not Easy Being a School Bus Driver. 11 Easton Area Drivers Weigh In

A nationwide bus driver shortage is pushing Easton’s already stressed-out drivers over the edge. Superintendent Tracy Piazza said help is on the way with at least 10 new drivers in the hiring pipeline. Still, 11 drivers reached out to Lehigh Valley Live with concerns that administrators and the public don’t understand their issues, don’t want to listen to them and don’t appreciate the drivers. Read more...

Buttigieg Admits Finding Reliable EV Charging Stations Is Difficult

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has admitted that it is difficult to find reliable public charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs). Read more...

Businesses Must Electronically File Form 8300, Report of Cash Payments Over $10,000

The Internal Revenue Service has announced that starting Jan. 1, 2024, businesses are required to electronically file (e-file) Form 8300, Report of Cash Payments Over $10,000, instead of filing a paper return. This new requirement follows final regulations amending e-filing rules for information returns, including Forms 8300. Read more...

FMCSA Launches Grants To Improve CDL Licensing Process

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently announced it will award $48 million in grant funding to increase CDL driver training opportunities and to continue improving the process to obtain a CDL. Read more...

FMCSA Proposes DataQs Appeals Process 

In a notice that published in the Federal Register on Sept. 14, FMCSA proposed creating an opportunity to appeal a state agency’s decision. The public will have 60 days to comment. Read more...

FMCSA Removes Two Devices from List of Registered Electronic Devices 

FMCSA has removed FALCON ELD and KSK ELD from the list of registered Electronic Logging Devices. FMCSA has placed these ELDs on the Revoked Devices list due to the providers’ failure to meet the minimum requirements established in 49 CFR part 395, subpart B, appendix A, effective Sept. 14. Read more...

Propane Could Be Key to Reliable School Buses and EV Charging

More school transportation directors are implementing multiple alternative energy sources into their fleet, like propane autogas and electric, to provide a safe, clean, and healthy ride for students. Read more...

New Research Shows Role of Association Membership in Motor Carrier Safety

The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) has released foundational new research that statistically corroborates that motor carriers who are active in state and national membership associations are safer than both former association members and carriers who have never been association members. Read more...

Caesars Entertainment Paid Millions to Hackers in Attack 

Caesars Entertainment Inc. paid tens of millions of dollars to hackers who broke into the company’s systems in recent weeks and threatened to release the company’s data, according to two people familiar with the matter. Read more...

New Research Reveals Social Media and Advertising’s Influence in Inspiring Travel

Research from Expedia Group uncovers how and where travelers plan and book travel, revealing the growing role of social media and advertising influence, top online resources, and the new online path to purchase. Read more...

What if Public Transit Was Like Uber? A Small City Ended Its Bus Service To Find Out

When a small city abruptly parked all its buses to launch a publicly subsidized van service offering $1.50 trips anywhere in town, only one of its bus drivers — a big-city transplant — went along for the ride. Read more...

ICYMI

Alerts, Invitations, Press Releases, and more are sent out to our Members as needed. Here are the emails we sent out since last Go News below.

• Register for a Driving Force Webinar on "How To Utilize Technology to Your Advantage for Hiring Drivers" Wednesday, September 27
• EXCITING NEWS! The 2024 PBA Marketplace Registration is Now Open!
• Attention All PBA Operators! PBA Marketplace Operator Registration is Now Open!