FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez and APTA President/CEO Paul Skoutelas discuss the current state of public transportation at the 2023 APTA TRANSform & Expo.
Photo: Louis Prejean
2 min to read
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) hosted a session at the 2023 APTA TRANSform & Expo for a deeper discussion of the administration’s public transit priorities.
The Federal Partners Update’s panel featured: FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez, Associate Administrator for Communications and Congressional Affairs Paul Kincaid, Executive Director Matthew Welbes, Acting Associate Administrator for Program Management Bruce Ronison, Chief Business Advisor James Harper, and Regional Administrator Yvette Taylor.
In December 2022, the FTA announced 15 grants in nine states to help make it easier for people with disabilities and mobility needs to access the U.S.’s oldest rail transit systems through upgrades. Approximately $686 million in grants represented the first round of funding from the new All Stations Accessibility Program, according to FTA's news release.
On Aug. 7, the FTA announced the availability of approximately $13.4 million in competitive grants for the Fiscal Year 2023 Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development Planning Program.
Fernandez also addresses topics such as safety. She shared that the FTA has had a meeting with the National Campaign for Transit Justice and they are creating “open houses” to better engage with the community.
The FTA has also co-hosted listening sessions with Asian American communities about their safety on public transportation.
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FTA Announces Award Winner
Later in the session, the FTA announced the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) as the winner of the 2023 Outstanding Achievement Award for Excellence in Environmental Document Preparation.
The award recognizes environmental documents that showcase best practices for a well-managed environmental documentation process, comply with prevailing requirements and expectations, and achieve the objective of paperwork reduction, according to the FTA.
The Federal Partners Update session was moderated by Associate Administrator for Communications and Congressional Affairs Paul Kincaid.
Photo: Louis Prejean
FTA Discusses State of Bus Manufacturing
The issues in bus manufacturing have been a hot topic at the APTA TRANSform & Expo.
Recent data showed that in 2022 vs. 2021 overall transit bus production declined by 652 units, or 14%, from 4,703 units in 2021 to 4,051 units in 2022.
Robinson and Harper did not shy away from the topic during the FTA session, as he stated that the bus manufacturing process is “now taking up to three years due to supply chain issues.”
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Harper also discussed rising bus costs and delivery timelines.
Harper suggests agencies eliminate customization and move to use-of-performance specifications. He also said agencies can use state schedules for acquisitions.
METRO’s People Movement highlights the latest leadership changes, promotions, and personnel news across the public transit, motorcoach, and people mobility sectors.
BART began offering select parking lots to non-BART riders to generate new revenue to help address its FY27 $376M operating budget deficit brought on by remote work.
Drawing on decades of industry experience, Evans-Benson offered insights into the differences between the two, along with tips for better customer engagement and more.
The renewals include continued operations at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida; the PRTC in Virginia; and RTC Washoe in Nevada.
The governor’s proposed auto insurance reforms could save the agency $48 million annually by limiting payouts in crashes where buses are not primarily at fault.
What truly drives the cost of a paratransit fleet? Beyond the purchase price, seven operational factors quietly determine maintenance frequency, downtime, and long-term service reliability. This whitepaper explores how these factors shape lifecycle cost and what agencies should evaluate when selecting paratransit vehicles.
In this conversation, TBC’s Executive Director Ed Redfern, President Corey Aldridge, and Washington Representative Joel Rubin outline the coalition’s key policy priorities, the challenges facing transit agencies, and how industry stakeholders can work together to strengthen the voice of bus transit at the federal level.
Amanda Wanke, who has worked at DART for 10 years, including the past 2½ years as CEO, will join Metro Transit as deputy chief operating officer, operations administration.
