When considering whether to make an exception in your bus operator training program to provide "extra training" (beyond what the training program offers) to a trainee who may have been close to qualifying but failed to, be warned that this can open the door to a flood of others who were terminated now demanding the same courtesy applied to them.

Author: Louie Maiello | Posted @ Friday, February 3, 2012 10:36 AM | » Comments(2)

A decade ago, OCTA’s paratransit ACCESS Service was growing at a rate twice that of the fixed-route service. Managing that increased demand and the spiraling cost of added usage has been a necessity to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of our entire transit system. However, managing that growth did not come at a cost to customer satisfaction.

Author: Will Kempton | Posted @ Wednesday, February 1, 2012 09:34 AM | » Comments(0)

There were two prevalent news stories this week regarding violence at transit agencies. Both DART and Washington Metro are looking to employ more preventive measures, but are not necessarily in agreement with the public — or among themselves — as to what’s most effective.

Author: Nicole Schlosser | Posted @ Friday, January 20, 2012 02:18 PM | » Comments(3)

When the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority opens its Accessible Travel Center in February, it will mark more than the unveiling of another facility — the authority will celebrate helping people with disabilities experience the freedom of traveling on public transportation independently.

Author: Heather Redfern | Posted @ Wednesday, January 18, 2012 09:16 AM | » Comments(6)

In surprising news yesterday, California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO Roelof van Ark announced his departure, effective in February. The authority's chairman of the board, Thomas J. Umberg announced that he would also vacate his position and recommend that Dan Richard, who was recently appointed to the board by Gov. Jerry Brown, assume his leadership role.

Author: Alex Roman | Posted @ Friday, January 13, 2012 10:11 AM | » Comments(4)

From the 'Bus Barn' this month arises two very important concerns regarding the use of bus simulator supplemental training: performance management and speed control. During the past year, I had the pleasure of visiting and conducting several train the trainer sessions at transit agencies in North America and Canada. I was pleased to see the passion among the trainers, as this is a necessary ingredient.

Author: Louie Maiello | Posted @ Friday, January 6, 2012 10:00 AM | » Comments(3)

The agency is gearing up for a busy year, pushing to deliver projects, create and sustain jobs and advocate for legislation that will provide sustainable transportation funding.

Author: Will Kempton | Posted @ Wednesday, December 28, 2011 12:36 PM | » Comments(0)

Determined cheaper than rail, BRT got its due this week in Detroit and Nashville, Tenn., as they named it their best transit option. Many other cities have come to similar conclusions. However, with high-speed rail being declared “dead” in the press last week, is there an assault on rail projects in general?

Author: Nicole Schlosser | Posted @ Friday, December 16, 2011 11:52 AM | » Comments(7)

During the holiday season, many companies participate in activities to give back to those in need. At Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, community involvement is part of the culture.

Author: Heather Redfern | Posted @ Wednesday, December 14, 2011 09:25 AM | » Comments(1)

Most of the time when the mainstream media focuses on the motorcoach industry it is negative — it usually has to deal with an accident that injured a host of people, many critically. In an attempt to shift the spotlight this week for being kicked off of an American Airlines flight, Alec Baldwin wrote a blog about the incident, where as a joke he must have thought was funny, he took a shot at Greyhound.

Author: Alex Roman | Posted @ Friday, December 9, 2011 10:21 AM | » Comments(1)