Passenger Bus, Rail and Motorcoach Industry News

Because of the agency’s budgetary problems, an APTA review recommended it cut or raise rates on a program that provides free transportation for college students, whose colleges pay an annual fee to participate.

In part due to a compromise to pay for part of the costs requested by University of Wisconsin Transportation Services and partly because of a projected increase in the cost of renting services from Madison Metro.

The foundation of the $485 million operating budget assumes that the arbitration award for the just-expired contract with the ATU is upheld and TriMet’s offer stands, providing some breathing room and ability to invest in critical infrastructure.

Part of planned move to an open fare payment system would eliminated extra-fare zone charges on dozens of transit routes and there would be some consolidation of zones on regional rail.

Operators are not only hoping to replace aging buses and vanpool vehicles, they are also looking for support for bicycle programs, electric vehicle charging stations and dispatch/demand-response software.

Gov. Tom Corbett’s 2013 budget proposal would provide an extra $1.8 billion a year for transportation statewide, but requires transit agencies to complete consolidation studies with neighboring agencies to gain a share of the funds.

No planned service restoration or cuts. The agency continues to face financial hurdles and uncertainty, but expects some breathing room due to an arbitrator’s selection of management’s labor contract proposal. Additionally, the agency continues to invest in new buses as they are cheaper to maintain and provide a better ride for customers.

SEPTA and other systems may get more funding than Gov. Tom Corbett called for in his budget plan. The plan would raise transit funding by $40 million in the first year.

The SEATS paratransit program has become too expensive for Johnson County to continue to support on its own, officials say. The program will need at least $2.4 million in fiscal year 2014 to maintain service.

The plan maintains current service levels, freezes base fares, and continues investment to modernize and repair infrastructure to best serve customers.