The New York State Public Transit Industry CONNECTIONS Conference  & Expo, in partnership with the New York State Department of Transportation  and the Federal Transit Administration Region II, opens today at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center. Opening day highlights include Orientation for the 2016 class of the Public Transit Leadership Institute, and a tour or the new state-of-the-art RTS Transit Center. Educational sessions begin Wednesday. Walk-up registrations will be accepted.

Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT) will bring in up to 10 professional transit contract drivers in the coming weeks to bolster its ranks and to address a shortage of bus operators that is being experienced on the local, regional and national levels. The use of temporary professional contract drivers will help TCAT maintain its high levels of service. The TCAT Board of Directors unanimously approved a resolution to enter into a contract with California-based National Tour Integrated Resources.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Central New York Regional Transportation Authority (CNYRTA) providing transportation service in Oneida County. On April 1, 2005 the CNYRTA assumed the day-to-day operations of the Utica Transit Authority (UTA). The move, which provided the CNYRTA with its first expansion into a new county in more than three decades, expanded CNYRTA’s service territory by 33 percent. Since assuming operations of the UTA, the CNYRTA has opened a transit hub in Utica, refurbished the fleets in Utica and Rome by repairing wheelchair lifts, installing new fare boxes and electronic destination signs, updating major vehicle components, repainting buses, adding, replacing  and refurbishing bus shelters, and redesigning / updating printed bus schedules.

Port Authority commissioners voted to replace the aging and overcrowded midtown Manhattan bus terminal. After delaying action last month due to a lack of consensus on the issue, the 12-member board voted unanimously to authorize Port Authority staff to begin the process of narrowing down just what kind of new terminal will be built and where. Under the process, those questions will be answered through an international design competition to be concluded by September 2016.   

E. Virgil Conway, who served as both Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) chairman and as a member of the MTA Board, died Wednesday in Southampton, New York. He was 85. Virgil began his tenure with the MTA Board as our Westchester representative. In 1995, he was asked by then-Governor George E. Pataki to take on the responsibility of chairman. He continued in that role until March 2001, serving as the seventh chairman of the MTA.

The ARC of Livingston-Wyoming will receive a federal grant to help it purchase four wheelchair-accessible buses. The $159,472 award for The Arc was among grants for public and non-profit organizations approved by the Federal Transit Administration and announced Monday by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. The funding will allow for purchase of accessible vehicles and other equipment used to transport seniors and people with disabilities.

Republican leaders in the House unveiled a measure to extend federal transportation funding for three weeks in an effort to prevent a highway-funding shutdown. The measure (H.R. 3819) would extend federal transportation spending — currently set to expire Oct. 29 — until Nov. 20.  GOP leaders in the House have said the temporary patch will provide time for them to finish work on a six-year, $325 billion transportation funding bill that was approved Thursday by the chamber’s Transportation Committee.

A pair of senators who have pushed for a multiyear highway bill say such a proposal could reach President Obama's desk by Thanksgiving. The Senate passed a bill that includes three years of guaranteed highway funding in July, and the House has now begun working on a six-year, $325 billion infrastructure package of its own that the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved Thursday. Sens. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) say it is possible for lawmakers to get a long-term highway bill to Obama by the end of November, now that the House highway bill has cleared its first committee test.

New York, NY—The economic and political truths that have governed America since the end of World War II — that everyone wants a big house and a car to drive to and from that big house — are disintegrating. It’s not just environmental nuts who are saying that people want to use transit and bikes.  As Standard and Poor’s, the bond-rating agency, warned last week: “Millennials” — people born between 1982 and 2000 — “are driving less than older motorists did” at the same age.

BELLOWS FALLS, VT — Area residents urged the state Transportation Board to provide more consistently marked and maintained bike lanes throughout the Connecticut River valley, and they urged access to public transportation for poor and rural residents.  Transportation Board Executive Secretary John Zicconi said AOT wants to be responsive with reflections in state transportation policy associated with public transportation, train travel, and highway safety, including bicycle and pedestrian safety.

The New York State Public Transit Industry CONNECTIONS Conference  & Expo

SCHEDULE OF SESSIONS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28
Rochester Riverside Convention Center

8:00am-12:30pm: NYS Transit Industry CONNECTIONS Expo

9:00-10:00am: A1- Economic Impact of New York’s Transit Manufacturing Industry

New York has the premiere transit manufacturing cluster in the nation, if not the world. This  panel will address the state of the industry, the opportunities and risks it faces, and how we can  improve our competitive advantage, across the state.

10:00-10:45am: A2 - Opening  Session:
The latest legislative developments impacting public transit.

11:00am-12:00pm: CONCURRENT SESSIONS

B1- Maintenance  Talks

Created by NYPTA’s Maintenance Directors Network, this interactive forum features maintenance managers and other associated transit professionals in a wide ranging  discussion on the most pressing bus maintenance and bus technology issues. Bring your  questions, challenges, or innovative practices to share with the audience.

B2- NYC DOT Mobility Management Panel Discussion

NYC DOT representatives share their vision for their innovative mobility management program, and how this cutting-edge program has impacted their community.

12:30-1:30pm: Transit Industry Luncheon with PTLI Graduation and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

1:45-2:45pm: CONCURRENT SESSIONS

C1- Communication Track

Media Relations: Best practices on crafting and delivering a transit message that connects with today’s riders and potential riders, too.
Sean Casey, Partner, Director of Public Affairs, and Matt Maguire, Senior Counsel, Eric Mower + Associates

C2- Mobility Management Track

Leveraging Resources to Create Reliable Rural Rideshare Programs: An Overview of the 511NY Southern Tier Rideshare and Jefferson County Rideshare Projects
Tina Hager, Transit Manager, Elmira-Chemung Transportation Council
John Lyons, President/CEO, MetroPool
Sam Purington, Executive Director, Volunteer Transportation Center, Inc.

C3- Operation & Safety Track

Overview of FTA Bus Safety Program and Safety Management Systems (SMS)
Erik Larson, Bus Safety Program Manager, Boyd, Caton & Grant

3:00-4:00pm: CONCURRENT SESSIONS

D1- Leadership Track

Driving Organizational Success Through Employee Training and Development: How Training Your Clients, Executive Team and Employees Can Drive Your Company’s Success.
Buddy Coleman, Executive Vice President, Clever Devices, LTD
Frank Kobliski, Executive Director, Centro

D2 - Mobility Management Track

How Do I Get From Here to There?  The Opportunities and Challenges of Implementing a Unified Trip Planning and Integrated Booking System for Fixed Route and Demand Responsive Transit
Christopher Titze, Senior Associate, Cambridge Systematics

D3- Maintenance & Safety Track

1) Advanced Safety & Maintenance Technologies for Air Brake Equipped Transit Buses Vinko Pregel, National Product Sales Manager-Transit, MGM Brakes

2) Proactive Approach to Transit Safety: A Blueprint for the Successful Implementation of an Integrated Safety Program, and Calculating a Return on Investment.
Peter Aube, Northeast Sales Executive, SEON

4:00-6:00pm: NYS Transit Industry CONNECTIONS Expo & Grand Finale Reception

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29
Rochester Hyatt Regency

7:30-9:30am: Transit Industry Breakfast: The Importance of Public Transit - A State, National and Corporate Perspective

Marilyn Shazor, FTA Region II Administrator
Matthew Driscoll, NYS DOT Commissioner (invited)
Xerox Corporation, the premier sponsor of the 2015 State Roadeo, will recognize the winner of this year’s competition and give attendees a business perspective on the importance of public transit.

9:45-10:45am: CONCURRENT SESSIONS

E1- Leadership Track

Operator Websites: Innovative Ways to Communicate Safety & Service
Michael Setzer, CEO, NICE Bus/Vice President, Transdev

E2 - Mobility Management  Track

Creating a Community Mobility System - A Question and Answer Roundtable with Mobility Managers and Operators

E3- RTAP & NYS DOT Track

Transit Program Updates & Program Oversight Technical Assistance NYS DOT Training

11:00am-12:00pm: CONCURRENT SESSIONS

F1- Leadership  Track

Public-Private Partnerships that Provide High Result Transit Solutions
David C. Duchscherer, PE, FASCE, Principal, Wendel Cos.
Elizabeth Bruno Colvin, Associate Project Manager, Wendel Cos.

F2 - Safety Track

1) Safety Best Practices: Creating Long Term Safe NORMS
Jeff Cassell, President, Taptco

2) Need-to-Know Changes to Wheelchair Securement Safety Regulations Darren Reaume, Northeast Regional Sales Manager, Q’Straint/Sure-Lok

F3- Mobility Management  Track

The Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment Program and Opportunities for Transportation
Jack Salo, Executive Director, Rural Health Network of SCNY
Bill McDonald, President, Medical Motor Service

12:00-1:00pm: Grab & Go Lunch

12:00pm: RTS Transit Center Tour (Pre-registration required)