The newly elected Pope Francis is a long-time fan of public transportation.  So much so that, even after being elected, he opted to take a bus when leaving the Sistine Chapel following his election.
Read about it in Metro.

National News

The American Public Transit Association cites high gas prices and increases in people returning to regular employment as contributors to near-record mass transit ridership across the nation in 2012.  Those numbers include double-digit hikes in light rail ridership in a number of cities, with Memphis seeing the highest increase at 28.4%. Read about it in Mother Nature Network.

State News

Metro-North Railroad is set to launch its greatest expansion of its schedule in over 30 years in early April.  The expansion will increase the number of trains the system runs by 5.6% overall each week. 
Read about it in Mass Transit.

A panel created by Governor Cuomo to explore possibilities for improving mass transit along I-287 as part of the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement project says that sales taxes and tolls may be the means to fund future projects.  The task force is expediting the formation of a separate committee to focus on funding options, moving up plans for talks from this summer to next month. 
Read about it in Poughkeepsie Journal.

Buffalo’s Metro Rail Line is becoming an economic driver on the state’s western frontier as the expansion of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus is leading to the investment of over $90 million in real estate projects near the subway stations.  Read about it in the Buffalo News.

Association News

NYPTA emailed transit system members last week with a survey about challenges to ADA Compliance. That survey will help New York State Department of Transportation/PTSB and the team At Central New York Regional Transportation Authority to tailor the May 23 training to meet specific needs of our members. If you haven’t yet responded, please do so now. Click here to take the survey.

Dutchess County is accepting bid proposals for Heavy Duty and Medium Duty Transit Buses with Accessory Options. Vendors interested in additional information can visit http://www.dutchessny.gov, select “Quick Links” from the left column, and click the link for “Bidding and RFP’s”.

There are only 6 spots left for the Principals of Transit Management workshop at The Desmond hotel in Albany, April 23-25. Register today to secure a place for this informative event. Visit the link here to register.