Passenger Bus, Rail and Motorcoach Industry News

First launched in fall 2012 as a pilot program serving Trenton-area bus customers, the system uses “smart bus” technology to provide customers with access to real-time bus arrival estimates to a specific bus stop within a 30-minute window.

The funds, which come from the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013 passed by Congress and signed by President Obama, bring the total funding from the FHWA to $224 million.

The transportation agency paid $2.9 million less in 2012 than it did in 2011 to employees cashing out their unused sick and vacation time. It also paid $4.1 million less in overtime from the previous year.

Salem County Community Bus Service received four new 2012 NABI transit buses from NJ Transit. The buses each accommodate 43 passengers and 19 standees.

The "BusSafe" counterterrorism and criminal deterrence program consists of bus patrols and increased inspections at transit terminals, garages and high-volume boarding areas.

The premium commuter service provided information to roughly 300 rail customers about which track their North Jersey-bound train would arrive on first — as much as 20 minutes before it appeared on the departure screens.

Offering the Meadowlands online ticketing option as a pilot program to test the functionality of the web ticketing application and evaluate the feasibility of expanding it to include other services. The first phase of the pilot will be in place for the upcoming football season, as well as for other stadium events.

As part of the expanded Bike Aboard program, NJ Transit will offer 418 designated bike trains on weekends on the Raritan Valley, Main/Bergen County, Pascack Valley, Gladstone, Montclair-Boonton and Atlantic City Rail lines. Collapsible bicycles are permitted on all trains at all times.

FTA received 836 project applications totaling $4 billion in requests. In FY2010 and FY2011, FTA awarded a total of more than $1.8 billion in grants for hundreds of state of good repair projects, primarily involving buses and bus facilities.

Bike Aboard would allow bikers to carry collapsible bikes onto all trains and at all stations during off-peak travel periods.