TRANSIT NEWS

MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast has appointed Carmen Bianco as president of the New York City Transit Authority after what the chairman called a nationwide search. Bianco is the seventh person to serve as president since the title was created in 1980. He has served as Acting President since April, and previously served as Senior Vice President of the Department of Subways, overseeing the entire subway system since 2010

STATE NEWS

Last week Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the New York State Tax Relief Commission that will identify ways to reduce the state’s property and business taxes to provide relief to New York’s homeowners and businesses. The new Tax Relief Commission includes former Governor Pataki and Comptroller Carl McCall. The Commission’s recommendations will be due by December 6, 2013 for inclusion in the Governor’s 2014 State of the State message.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) will carry out a fall paving project designed to reduce the frequency of flooding on the Saw Mill River Parkway southbound in Pleasantville, Westchester County. 

FEDERAL NEWS

The partial shutdown of the federal government is having an impact on DOT employees and the programs they oversee. FTA salaries are funded from the General Fund therefore 95 percent of FTA employees have been furloughed. The shutdown is the first in nearly two decades.

Last week DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx addressed the APTA Annual Meeting by video message. Foxx’s message served as a last-­minute substitute for his scheduled in-­person appearance  when he was called to an emergency Cabinet meeting by President Obama to respond to the pending shutdown of the federal government.  In his message Foxx stated, “Let me be clear: Transit is one of the safest ways to travel. Our goal is to put in place a safety framework that takes into account the differences among transit operators so that it’s scalable, not a ‘one size fits all’ approach, and that it’s also ­efficient .”

BUSINESS PARTNER NEWS

Puerto Rico Highway and Transportation Authority and Autoridad Metropolitana de Autobuses in San Juan, Puerto Rico, are renewing their fleet with 16 new Nova LFS Smart Buses. “We value Puerto Rico’s renewed trust,” said Jean-Pierre Baracat, President of Nova Bus. “After 14-plus years in service, our vehicles continue to prove themselves in San Juan with a strong track record of reliability and cost efficiency.”

 King County Metro Transit in Seattle selected BAE Systems’ HybriDrive Series-E electric drive system to power 120 New Flyer Xcelsior buses. According to BAE Systems, this is the largest order to date of the HybriDrive Series-E propulsion system, which enables electric drive modes to eliminate emissions from the vehicle and to reduce engine idling.

 In recent weeks, Leonard Bus Sales delivered eight new IC Bus™ CE Series buses to the Guilderland Central School District.  The buses each seat 66 passengers and are 20 times cleaner than the diesel buses of just ten years ago. By simply adding these newer buses, the Guilderland Central School District will bring the average age of its fleet down and improve the fleet’s fuel efficiency.

NYPTA on SOCIAL MEDIA