Tuesday Transit News: April 9, 2013....

State Transit News

The University at Buffalo's long-held vision for a downtown medical school is about to materialize in bricks and mortar — along with steel rail and subway trains. UB's new centerpiece will also assume a role assigned to few medical schools around the world: It will incorporate Metro Rail's current Allen/Medical Campus Station onto its ground floor, providing a crucial role for the Buffalo subway as a gateway to the new Medical Campus. Read about it in Mass Transit.

Lake Placid recently unveiled a new hybrid-electric shuttle bus to make public transportation quieter and cleaner. The 14-passenger bus will operate in rotation with Lake Placid's free trolley service in a 10-mile continuous loop in and around Lake Placid, making stops at hotels, supermarkets, health service facilities and other points of interest. Financing for the bus was made possible through the New York Power Authority's Municipal Electric-Drive Vehicle Program, which provides financial assistance to New York municipal utilities to facilitate the replacement of less fuel-efficient vehicles in order to advance Gov. Andrew Cuomo's clean energy goals. Read about it in Lake Placid News.

TCAT bus operators occasionally face delays due to traffic, weather and other circumstances outside their control, but a toddler wandering off alone in search of his dinosaur was a new one for bus operator Jack Shawley. Shawley was driving the Route 30 bus on the Parkway in the Village of Cayuga Heights one mid‑February morning when a 2 to 3‑year‑old boy, all alone and clad in a coat but with untied boots, was toddling atop the snow bank between the sidewalk and the road.
Read about it inTCAT News.

Thoughts on Public Transit Leadership

Urban designer Graham Kaye-Eddie has some interesting thoughts on the "heads" and "tails" of increasing the effectiveness of public transportation. Read his insights on Makabusi.com.

Business News and Updates

Dutchess County is currently accepting proposals for Bus Wash Maintenance and Repair (quote number RFQ-DCP-13-11) for the Dutchess County Department of Public Transit. Quotes are due by no later than 4:00pm on April 11, 2013. For additional information, visit www.dutchessny.gov.

The Braun Corporation is offering monthly classes on proper adjustment and maintenace of DPA lift products. The two-hour interactive classes feature a live trainer and are offered throughout the year. They include training for the DPA line's Millennium, Century and Vista lifts. Multiple attendees can view a training from one computer. If you wish to participate, email Justin Riendeau at justin.riendeau@braunlift.com

Would you like to see your organization's news here? Member organizations and businesses are invited to send their news to us at info@nytransit.org. We may not be able to include all that we receive, but we'd like to hear from you and share what we can. And, if you have an e-newsletter of your own, please be sure to add us to your mailing list.