Passenger Bus, Rail and Motorcoach Industry News

Unveiled its Panther Trolley System, with two routes and two San Francisco trolleys, in an attempt to offer a unique mode of transportation and make commuting across campus safer.

The new name for Campus Transit is intended to clear up any confusion between the call-in shuttle service and the university’s bus service Tiger Trails. The name will appear on the shuttles once two new vehicles are added to the fleet.

After seeing success with its discount bus-and-rail pass program with California State University San Marcos, the North County Transit District plans to start a similar pilot program with the University of San Diego.

The Columbia City Council is reconsidering contracts for Columbia Transit routes that run to Missouri University student apartment complexes and provide residents with free rides are no longer viable for the transit system, which is struggling with budget problems.

A recent transportation survey conducted at the University of Hawaii at Manoa shows that, while most students still drive to campus, with promotion of sustainable modes of access to campus, the number of students who took public transit increased to 17 percent.

The Central Ohio Transit Authority will soon upgrade bus fare collection technology, adding magnetic strips to student identification and requiring students to swipe their BuckIDs at the fare box as they board.

Cat Tracker lets students download an app or check online to see when and where the next bus nearest to them will arrive. The tracking program was accessed by over 8,000 users in August.

Reports a nearly 50 percent decrease in the number of students purchasing parking permits in the last four years. Meanwhile, Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District bus ridership has reached record levels.

A significant jump in both student enrollment and city riders has caused many Oxford University Transit buses to be late and overcrowded. While this often happens at the beginning of a new school year, officials say, there are limited solutions this year due to budget constraints.

Will hear in about four months whether the Charlotte Area Transit light rail system will be extended to UNC Charlotte by 2017. The extension would cost about $1 billion, and the agency hopes for half of the cost to come from federal funding.