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The winter of 2014 was relentless, with its deep freezes, ice storms, record snowfall, torrential rain and mudslides. The end of the season will be welcomed by transportation organizations across the country, especially in Philadelphia, where SEPTA’s service was impacted by 16 storms and weeks of extremely frigid temperatures.
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How many cell-phone minutes do you pay for in a month? Or gigabytes of data? Are you on a family plan? Do you get a group discount from work? What does this even have to do with transit? If we think of a transit trip like we do a cell-phone minute (or megabyte) we start to realize that there are many ways to package our usage.
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APTA pegs annual bus ridership in the U.S. and Canada at around 5.4 billion. It goes without saying that transit agencies strive to keep passengers safe and secure, but with large fleets to manage and millions of annual riders things can and do go wrong. That’s why onboard video surveillance is so essential.
Read More →Among the most difficult tasks for a new student bus operator to perform on the training bus is a “right turn into a bus stop.” On a scale of one to five, with five being most difficult, I rank it a five. Right turns, in general, rank at the top of the list, but having to successfully enter a bus stop “immediately” after a right turn comes as a result of several instructional steps — demonstrated properly by the trainer.
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Rising and fluctuating diesel and gasoline prices cause stress and uncertainty for fleet operation bottom lines. Fortunately, transit fleet operators may choose from several alternative fuel and vehicle technologies that can provide price stability, lower fuel costs and reduced emissions.
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Transit can play a role in helping to stop human trafficking, considering the number of people using it 24 hours a day. SEPTA Police Chief Thomas Nestel was recently joined by representatives from local social service agencies and a former human trafficking victim to discuss signs of the crime, law enforcement efforts and how the public can help.
Read More →Finding Wi-Fi access on a moving vehicle is still a thrill for many transit riders. But with dozens of municipal public transportation systems across the country offering on-the-go Internet access — for example, Boston Oakland, Calif. — it’s clear the future of transportation in this country involves increasing Internet connectivity.
Read More →It has been more than 20 years since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and many transit agencies continue to struggle with the quality of service, costs and the difficulties encountered in contracting the service. One of the most basic policy decisions an agency must make involves whether to provide door-to-door, or only curb-to-curb service.
Read More →This topic builds on conversations I had with a variety of training professionals throughout 2013, so I hope this information helps those who were interested to know how to implement a simulator into an existing curriculum.
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Transit agencies increasingly want third-party validation of their sustainability efforts. They understand that to make improvements, they need to measure what they’re doing. And, that takes special skills and a trained eye. But, finding just the right fit between an agency and an outside advisor/auditor can be challenge.
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The U.S. walks a daily tightrope between the need for security and the ability to move goods and people as freely as possible within immigration policy parameters. In the transportation world, we are working to develop technologies to move cross-border traffic more efficiently while ensuring secure borders.
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Jobs in the transportation industry can be highly specialized, requiring employees to have very specific training and numerous certifications. Transit systems can ensure that the workers they are hiring are well-prepared for open positions by partnering with technical schools to collaborate on curriculum and create a pipeline of qualified job candidates.
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