Congress urged to provide critical funding for security upgrades

In testimony before a House subcommittee, representatives of the transit and motorcoach industries urged Congress to fund upgrades in transportation security. Bill Millar, president of the American Public Transportation Association, told members of the Highways, Transit and Pipelines Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee of a need for $6 billion in federal funding for critical security upgrades. "We do not need another wake-up call like Madrid," Millar said. "What we need is significant federal funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to upgrade public transportation security." Also testifying before the House subcommittee was Peter Pantuso, president/CEO of the American Bus Association (ABA). He also called for a significant federal investment in security upgrades. The security needs of ABA members, Pantuso said, include training for their personnel in threat assessment, threat recognition and crisis management. Equipment such as driver shields, emergency communication systems and surveillance cameras for bus facilities and garages are also necessary, he said.