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This week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo announced safety regulations requiring Positive Train Control (PTC) technology to be installed on major rail lines around the nation, as well as commuter and intercity passenger rail routes.
Read More →On Wednesday, the U.S. House passed a $154 billion jobs bill, or what’s being called a second stimulus package, by a vote of 217 to 212. The package is not expected to be taken up by the Senate until early next year, but if it goes through, public transportation will likely have another pool of funds to draw from, since the current bill enables large transit systems to use 10 percent of the $6.15 billion in formula funding for operations. It also includes $800 million for Amtrak.
Read More →The White House Jobs Summit, held last week, drew business executives, economists, finance experts, labor leaders and small business owners to Washington, D.C., to share ideas on boosting employment. A national delegation of transit and business leaders was among those in attendance, with plans to promote the benefits of investing in “ready-to-go” public transit infrastructure projects that will create and sustain jobs.
Read More →At a recent joint hearing of three New York City Council committees, – Transportation, Women’s Issues and Public Safety – the New York Police Department (NYPD) and Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials spoke about the cry from its riders for more prevention and enforcement of sexual harassment.
Read More →Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) released a new motorcoach safety action plan, focusing on issues including driver fatigue and inattention, vehicle rollovers, occupant ejections and oversight of unsafe carriers.
Read More →This week, Chicago Transit Authority was able to stave off hiking fares thanks to a $166 million loan, which includes $15 million over two years in debt payments from the local government.
Read More →We just got over “junk your car” rebates by the federal administration, now it’s “junk the bus.” This program makes sense in terms of the environment, since “junk your car” was directed at saving energy.
Read More →This week, the National Transportation Safety Board delivered a safety recommendation to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration urging them to implement a program to identify commercial drivers at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea and require those drivers to provide medical certification that they have been evaluated and, if necessary, effectively treated before being granted unrestricted medical certification.
Read More →Public transit is at an important crossroads. With the folks on Capitol Hill focusing on health care and climate change legislation, the authorization of a new transportation bill has been put on the backburner. Not too promising a signal, especially with so much importance being put on this reauthorization by many transportation providers who are being financially pushed to the limit.
Read More →I recently read a story about a transit CEO who has made it a habit to ride a bus on a different route every week to learn customer’s opinions about their service experience firsthand. The CEO makes it known who he/she is when boarding the bus and they engage passengers in conversation while riding. The CEO makes notes of all the opinions they hear, good or bad, and follows up on them.
Read More →Currently, the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reviewing key indicators and has found that influenza activity increased in the U.S. compared to the prior weeks, with visits to doctors for influenza-like illness increasing nationally; total influenza hospitalization rates for adults and children were similar to or lower than seasonal influenza hospitalization rates depending on age group, but higher than expected in the summer months; and 11 states (Alaska, Arizona, Florida, G
Read More →Compared to years past, authorities are experiencing a new day in public transportation because of a transit-friendly administration. Stimulus money is apparently rolling in everywhere. However, public transit still has its naysayers, who just can’t let go of old attitudes about empty buses, even though they are more filled today than ever before.
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