Tuesday
September 22, 2015

New York is a city with millions of people, and there's a good chance many of them will be impacted by Pope Francis' visit this week. "It will be a nightmare," said Sam Schwartz, a former DOT commissioner. Schwartz says it should definitely send you to mass...mass transit. "If you want to see the pope, come by public transportation. If you don't want to see the pope, take a long weekend," Schwartz said.

A new ad by the subway and bus workers union accuses Mayor de Blasio of saying “tough luck” to frustrated riders by pushing back on calls for the city to put $3.2 billion toward transit repairs. The ad from Transport Workers Union Local 100 — appearing in the Daily News and other publications — comes days after the unveiling of a modern $2.4 billion subway station in Manhattan’s far west side and a derailment on the G line in Brooklyn caused by a collapsed tunnel wall.

Governor Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie sent a letter to President Obama offering to line up funding for half of the costs of new Hudson River rail tunnels if the federal government pledges grants for the other half. The governors committed to paying for their states’ “fair share” of the project, which could cost as much as $20 billion. The White House issued a statement saying federal transportation secretary Anthony Foxx would work with the two states to determine how the federal government could “best support progress on this project.”

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter announced a partnership between Suffolk County and the Town of Islip to bring additional routes to Long Island MacArthur Airport. The vision includes a new state-of-the-art airport terminal to be built on the north side of Islip’s Long Island MacArthur Airport. This proposed terminal would be adjacent to the Ronkonkoma LIRR station and the proposed BRT station – effectively creating a multi-modal plane, train and bus rapid transit superstation which will dramatically enhance Islip’s MacArthur Airport.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced that New York City, Wyoming and Tampa, Fla., will receive up to $42 million to fund pilot projects for "next-generation technology in infrastructure and in vehicles" to communicate with each other and their surroundings. Those communications can reduce congestion and greenhouse gas emissions, and cut the unimpaired vehicle crash rate by 80 percent, the announcement said. New York City will receive up to $20 million to install vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications in up to 10,000 city-owned vehicles – including cars, buses and limousines.

A bipartisan group of 52 House members is pushing to double the amount of money that public transit riders can set aside from their paychecks for a tax break on their commutes each month. The lawmakers said the transit tax benefit, cut from $245 to $130 last year by Congress, should be made equal to the $250 that U.S. drivers are currently allowed to put aside pre-tax for parking rates. “With 2.7 million commuters using the transit benefit to get from home to work, Congress should take action to ensure that riders of public transportation are provided with the same benefits as other commuters,” the lawmakers, lead by Reps. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) and Pete King (R-N.Y.), wrote in a letter to leaders of the House Ways and Means Committee.

The enthusiasm among some lawmakers to finish a multi-year federal transportation bill seems to have fizzled over the long August recess. House Transportation Committee Chair Bill Shuster is already talking about another extension. But guess what? Congress is just really busy right now. There’s the threat of a government shutdown. There’s the Iran deal to fight about. There’s a whole slew of tax provisions to pass before they expire...

Detroit -- Vice President Joe Biden declared Detroit America’s comeback city as he and Mayor Mike Duggan celebrated the final four of 80 new buses put into commission in a town that has suffered for years from unreliable public transportation. The federally funded buses mean that for the first time in 20 years, Detroit has enough buses running to meet its posted schedule.

Baltimore -- Declaring that he wants to help make Baltimore a more livable city, Gov. Larry Hogan is promising a plan to "knock down blocks of derelict buildings" and to fix the city's "broken" transit system. In an opinion piece in The Baltimore Sun, the Republican governor reiterated his administration's commitment to finding solutions to improve the transit system in Baltimore after scrapping the long-planned Red Line as a "boondoggle." He pledged that Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn would soon advance "a new approach to transit" that will include "dedicated corridors to rapidly move people east-west and north-south."

NYS Public Transit Industry CONNECTIONS Conference & Expo
October 27-29 | Rochester, NY

No matter your connection to the public transit industry, NYS Public Transit Industry CONNECTIONS Expo is the ideal place to learn, network, compare equipment, evaluate products, and take advantage of meeting directly with leading vendors who understand your daily challenges.

Register here. Save $100 by registering by October 6th.

New Features!

RTS is providing attendees with bus day passes during the conference. Pick up your RTS Bus Pass at the NYPTA Registration Desk. It is a great way to enjoy Rochester!
Shepard Bros./Coach & Equipment is extending an invitation to conference attendees to tour their facility in Penn Yan on Thursday, October 29. The tour will begin at 2pm. Pre-registration is required.

Program Highlight of the Week:
These sessions will take place in the Expo on Wednesday, October 28:

Maintenance/Operations Track

Overview of FTA Bus Safety Program and Safety Management Systems (SMS)

Maintenance/Safety Track:

Advanced Safety & Maintenance Technologies for Air Brake Equipped Transit Buses
Proactive Approach to Transit Safety: A Blueprint for the Successful Implementation of an Integrated Safety Program, and Calculating a Return on Investment

To learn more about education sessions and networking opportunities at the Annual Conference, visit www.nystransitconference.org .

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

Thank You Exhibitors (Sponsors in bold. = Bus display)

• ABT Products & Services Ltd • Altro Transflor • American Seating Co. • Apollo Video Technology • BAE Systems/HybriDrive Propulsion System • Benzaiten, LLC • Braunability • Clever Devices, LTD • Doron Precision Systems, Inc. • Ecolane • Empire Bus Sales LLC • Fenton Mobility Products

• Freedman Seating Co. • Gillig, LLC

• GIRO, Inc. • GTS, Inc. • Hanover Displays, Inc. • IBI Group • Kelderman Manufacturing • Luminator Technology Group • MGM Brakes • Motor Coach Industries, Inc. • Shepard Bros.• Stewart & Stevenson Power Products LLC-Atlantic Division / PENN Commercial Vehicle Solutions • Muncie Transit Parts/ABC Companies • The Nevison Group • New Flyer of America

• Nova Bus • Onspot Automatic Tire Chains • Protran Technology • Q'Straint/Sure-Lok • The RCA Rubber Company • Seifert Transit Graphics • Seon • SPX Genfare • Syncromatics • TAPTCO • Transit Marketing Group • USSC Group • Urban Engineers of NY, PC • Urban Solar Corp. • Voith Turbo, Inc. • Wendel Companies • Westmatic • XL Hybrids

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Announces New Webinar on the Next Generation Traveler Information System

The USDOT's Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Professional Capacity Building Program (PCB) will host a free Talking Technology and Transportation (T3) Webinar to discuss current and emerging technologies in traveler information systems.

The webinar, entitled "Next Generation Traveler Information System," will be held Wednesday September 23, 2015, from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm EST.

Title: Next Generation Traveler Information System
Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Time: 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm EST
Professional Development Hours (PDH): 1.5

Register here. More information here.

136 Everett Road
Albany, NY 12205
United States

New York Public Transit Association, Inc.

136 Everett Road
Albany, NY 12205
United States

518-434-9060 ph • info@nytransit.org • www.nytransit.org

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