Niagara Frontier Transit Authority (NFTA) Executive Director Kimberley A. Minkel was recently named the sixth most influential woman in Western New York according to Business First and their recently released Power 100 Women listing. Minkel has been leading the NFTA, with its $216 million budget and 1,500 employee workforce, for nearly five years.

Results of the ongoing MTA New York City Transit pilot removing trash cans from a total of 39 subway stations show a significant decrease in the amount of trash bags collected from these stations. “This pilot appears counterintuitive but when we placed notices at the pilot stations indicating that the cans had been removed and asked the customers for their cooperation, it looks like they listened,” New York City Transit President Carmen Bianco said.

The city of White Plains is looking to redevelop the “functionally obsolete” transit hub at the downtown train station into a vibrant corridor, according to its request for bidders to study the idea. The project proposal instructs applicants to account for a bus rapid transit system — composed of seven lines, five of which would intersect in White Plains — that has been proposed to connect Westchester and Rockland counties via the new Tappan Zee Bridge.

Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) is introducing legislation that would nearly double the 18.4-cents-per-gallon federal gas tax to help pay for road and transit projects around the nation. Carper's bill would increase the gas tax by 4 cents per year for the next four years, resulting in a 16-cents-per-gallon increase by 2020. The Delaware senator said the failure of Congress to pass a long-term transportation bill this summer showed it is time to raise the gas tax, which has not been increased since 1993.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation Victor Mendez has little patience for congressional gridlock holding up much-needed transportation projects, given its impact on economic growth, he said. Mendez warned that the lack of new transportation funds threatens the strength of communities across the U.S. and the nation overall. Corporations seek expansion where infrastructure can support their workforce and transportation needs, he said..

Los Angeles, CA -- Los Angeles' Metro is creating an Office of Extraordinary Innovation (OEI) to champion new ideas for improving mobility throughout Los Angeles County, while helping Metro set an innovative and fiscally responsible course for the future, according to agency officials. The small OEI team will be the clearing house, as well as the creative engine, for inventive plans, practices and thinking.

Alameda County, CA -- A fuel-cell installed in an Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District’s (AC Transit) bus set a record-breaking milestone — 20,000 hours of continuous operation. The fuel-cell, manufactured by UTC Power, was not expected to operate beyond 5,000 hours, or about one year of service for an AC Transit bus. AC Transit’s 20,000-hour milestone demonstrates the potential for fuel cells to meet the high standards for durability and reliability in public transit.

 

Rochester is the TRANSIT place to be this October 27-29! Check your mailboxes for the CONNECTIONS Annual Conference & Expo registration brochure! The conference has something for everyone in your agency with a wide variety of topics and trainings, including a tour of the new state-of-the-art Rochester Transit Center!

By joining your public transit colleagues at the conference, you will keep up with critical issues and topics affecting our growing industry!

Register before October 6 and save $100!

Want to improve your agency operations?  Be sure to attend the CONNECTIONS Expo! With an impressive bus and van display, you will see first-hand all the latest innovative products and services in our industry. We have a growing list of new exhibitors and many of our returning vendors are already reserving their space. See the current list and check it out!

Click here for conference website with all your need to know info!

For Questions, contact NYPTA at 518-434-9060 or email info@nytransit.org.