Study Shows Public Transit Access Leads to Higher Employment, Lower Poverty

After being contracted by RTA in the summer of 2018, CSU researchers were tasked to quantify the annual economic impact that the RTA has on Cuyahoga County, in addition to measuring the economic benefit that RTA-related expenditures have on the local economy.

According to the study, the impact of public transit on Cuyahoga County property values is $2.2 billion with an estimated annual economic impact of $322 million.

TxDOT Joins Effort to End Human Trafficking

In a news release, TxDOT Executive Director, James Bass states, “Human trafficking is a horrific crime that knows no boundaries and, sadly, affects hundreds of thousands of women, children and men across our state and around the world.”

SWTA Signs Letter of Support: Nearly 700 Call on Congress to Reinstate Alternative Fuels Tax Credit

Washington, DC - On February 11th, nearly 700 users, retailers, customers, fleet managers, utilities and producers of clean alternative transportation fuels joined Natural Gas Vehicles for America (NGVAmerica) to call on Congress to act on a reinstatement of the Alternative Fuels Tax Credit (AFTC), which would offer $.50 per gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE) on certain transportation fuels.

Paul James Larrousse Unexpectedly Passes Away

SWTA is sad to announce, on Wednesday, November 14, 2018, Paul James Larrousse passed away at St. Peter’s University Hospital, New Brunswick. He was 64.

Ozark Regional Transit Awarded $2.9 Million Grant

Ozark Regional Transit has been officially notified that it has been awarded $2.9 million from a 5339 grant through the Federal Transit Administration. The proceeds are earmarked for bus facilities infrastructure investment programs.

Larry McNutt, Popular Transportation Industry Veteran, Passes Away

SWTA is sad to announce, Larry McNutt, Ricon Sales Manager, passed away suddenly last Friday, October 5, 2018. SWTA was informed by Bill Urian, who also referred to Larry as a great man, and stated, “He will be missed by many.”

FTA Will Award $366.2 Million in Grants to Improve Safety and Reliability

Read the attached chart to see which projects are being funded in the SWTA region!

Kristen Joyner Appointed to Serve on the Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking

​Kristen Joyner received a letter Wednesday, October 3, 2018, informing her she will serve on Secretary Elaine Chao’s Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking (ACHT).

FTA Announces Grant for Healthcare

FTA announced the availability of $6.3 million in competitive grant funds for transit coordination projects that improve access to healthcare. A Notice of Funding Opportunity is on display at the Federal Register.

FTA’s Access and Mobility Partnership Grants focus on transportation solutions to medical appointments and other non-emergency healthcare services. The grants will help improve options for people with limited transportation choices and bridge the gap between service providers in the transportation and health sectors.

The program supports the work of the inter-agency Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility (CCAM), which works to coordinate federal programs to improve access to jobs, schools, healthcare, and other opportunities.

Mountain Line Marks 18th Straight Year of Ridership Growth

Mountain Line is bucking the nationwide trend of declining bus ridership, registering another year of record ridership and surpassing Fiscal Year 2017 ridership by more than 17 percent.

SWTA Announces 31st Anniversary Spotlight Award Winners for Transit Marketing Excellence

The South West Transit Association (SWTA) announced its 31^ST Annual Spotlight Award winners during the Transit Marketing Workshop held at the Aloft Oklahoma City Downtown - Bricktown hotel.

The SPOTLIGHT Award is the oldest transit marketing and advertising award given in the United States and is awarded for excellence in a total transit marketing campaign with a “biggest-bang-for-the-buck” emphasis.

FTA Bus and Bus facilities grants NOFO - due August 6

FTA today announced the opportunity to apply for approximately $366.3 million in fiscal year 2018 competitive grant funding for transit bus projects nationwide. The Buses and Bus Facilities Infrastructure Investment Program is authorized by Congress to improve the condition of bus infrastructure nationwide by funding the replacement and rehabilitation of buses and related facilities.

VIA President/CEO Elected Vice Chair of Visit San Antonio

VIA President/CEO Jeffrey C. Arndt has been elected to serve as Vice Chair for the Visit San Antonio (VSA) Board of Directors, a designation that reflects Arndt’s and VIA’s ongoing support for connecting the region’s rich culture and historical destinations.

Rock Region METRO: Hires New Executive Director

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (May 7, 2018) — The METRO Board of Directors announced the hiring of Charles Frazier, current assistant director of Palm Tran in Palm Beach County, Florida, as the new Rock Region METRO executive director. Frazier has 22 years of experience as an administrator, serving in the Palm Beach County administration as division director of electronic services and security and manager of network services for the county, in addition to serving on the Palm Tran leadership team. He is among 25 public transportation officials selected for the year-long American Public Transportation Association leadership program, designed to help participants develop their skills and prepare them for senior and executive leadership roles. His first day at METRO will be Monday, June 25.

Topeka Metro Honors Public Employees with Free Ride Week

In conjunction with Public Service Recognition Week, Topeka Metro honors federal, state, and local public employees by offering free rides May 7 through May 12, 2018. Public employees with proper identification can receive unlimited free rides on the fixed routes.

VIA Debuts Connection to ‘Confluence & Culture’ on VIA Bus

VIA Metropolitan Transit, the City of San Antonio Tricentennial Commission, and the Witte Museum on Wednesday unveiled a mobile version of the premier Tricentennial exhibit, “Confluence and Culture: 300 Years of San Antonio History,” now on display at the Witte. The history-on-wheels project sponsored by VIA is an extension of the current multi-faceted exhibition that portrays San Antonio as the hub of the frontier under many flags over three centuries.

APTA Provides Resources to Help you Understand the Decline in Ridership

Recent declines in public transportation ridership have prompted a discussion on the factors influencing and causing those declines, and the steps public transit agencies should take to change the ridership trend. Recent nationwide trends, like the emergence of new mobility companies and new technologies, have the potential to reform the current mobility landscape and reduce personal automobile trips. However, public transportation agencies must adapt in order to reinforce the position of public transit as an efficient mode of travel. The public transportation industry can potentially capitalize on external technological innovation and broad economic trends in the coming years. The industry should work to implement adaptations that will provide increased access and use for this efficient mode, while reinforcing the value public transportation still provides.

VIA Debuts Connection to ‘Confluence & Culture’ on VIA Bus

VIA Metropolitan Transit, the City of San Antonio Tricentennial Commission, and the Witte Museum unveiled a mobile version of the premier Tricentennial exhibit, “Confluence and Culture: 300 Years of San Antonio History,” now on display at the Witte. The history-on-wheels project sponsored by VIA is an extension of the current multi-faceted exhibition that portrays San Antonio as the hub of the frontier under many flags over three centuries.

TIGER is Now BUILD, and the Application Window is Open

Per the Appropriations Bill from last month, $1.5B is available.

VIA’s New CNG Fueling Station Largest in North America

VIA Metropolitan Transit officially dedicated its new Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fueling station April 18, at the regional transit agency’s San Antonio campus. Guests at the Wednesday morning Dedication Ceremony got a first look inside the 10,980 square foot compressor compound that stands as the largest in North America.

FTA Apportionments

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has posted its annual apportionments online in 19 detailed tables.

SWTA Visits Delegation in Washington, DC

SWTA made its fourth visit to Washington, DC, to share good news stories with members of Congress about the excellent transit work being done in the SWTA Nation! I try to target different areas of the region, keeping a balance between Senate and House as well as sections of the region. The choice of who I visit is typically because there is targeted messaging or because a SWTA member has requested a visit or shared a story with us.

Congress Passes Continuing Resolution

By a vote of 72-26, the Senate passed a Continuing Resolution (CR; H.R. 5325) that funds federal government programs through December 9 at Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 levels. The House of Representatives passed the bill by a vote of 342-85. The President is expected to sign the bill before the new FY 2017 began on October 1.

SWTA’s Docket Submission to FTA’s NPRM Transit Agency Safety Plans

SWTA’s Docket Submission Included

Take the Mystery Out of Submitting Comments to the FTA Docket

A brief tutorial that will take the mystery out of submitting comments and give you a voice in the Federal government.

President Signs FAST Act Into Law

President Obama signed into law the FAST Act(Fixing America’s Surface Transportation), H.R. 22. There was no ceremony and no fanfare - just a simple statement from the White House that the President had signed the bill (which followed a presidential statement from earlier yesterday morning saying that the bill was “not perfect, but it is a commonsense compromise, and an important first step in the right direction”). The text of the enrolled bill as signed into law is here.

SWTA’s Letter to the Senate and House Conference Committee for the Surface Transportation Bill

​See Link

Capital Bus Investment Sorely Underfunded, Pick-Up Your Phone

The Surface Transportation Reauthorization Reform (STRR) Act is the House answer to a long-term transportation funding bill. This week the House Rules Committee will consider amendments to the bill. This is your opportunity to provide information that will help the House make the right decision about Capital Bus Investment.

SWTA Sends Letter on Behalf of Membership to Key Congressional Committee Staff Leaders

This letter is being sent on behalf of the 182 public transportation providers, businesses and members of the South West Transit Association, from the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

APTA Alert: House Passes FY 2016 Transportation-HUD Appropriations Bill

Tuesday evening, the House of Representatives finished floor debate and passed, by a vote of 216- 210, the Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations bill. The House voted on the first series of amendments to the bill last week, and completed amendments before voting for final passage late Tuesday night (June 9, 2015).

APTA Alert: Senate Passes Short-Term Authorization Extension

Early Saturday morning the Senate passed H.R. 2353, the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2015 by voice vote. This legislation extends the MAP-21 authorization from May 31 through July 31. The bill has now passed both chambers of Congress and is expected to be signed by the President this week.

Mayor of Oklahoma Stands Up for Transit in OpEd to NY Times

EVERY day, millions of Americans rely on a remarkable network of roads, bridges, subways, trains and buses to connect us to work, school and opportunity. But our transportation system, once the envy of the world, is in jeopardy.

In New York City, subways and buses are overcrowded and often unreliable, and roadways and bridges are in dire need of repair and rehabilitation. From the next phase of the Second Avenue subway to plans to connect the Metro-North Railroad to Pennsylvania Station, to the proposed new subway line under Utica Avenue in Brooklyn, there isn’t a short- or long-term expansion project that isn’t dependent on federal funding.

Letter to Transit Industry about Surface Transportation Lapse

Federal Transit Administration sent this bulletin at 05/12/2015 12:42 PM EDT

House Committee on Appropriations Releases the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Bill

On Tuesday morning, 4/28, the House Committee on Appropriations released the draft Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016. This bill is scheduled to be brought before the THUD Subcommittee Wednesday morning for a markup. The measure appropriates discretionary spending totaling $55.3 billion, which is $1.5 billion above FY 2015 level, but $9.7 billion below the President’s budget request. With reduced offsets, however, the bill represents an actual increase of only $25 million above the current level.

Legislative Alert: U.S. DOT Secretary Foxx Releases Revised GROW AMERICA Act

By: APTA

On Monday, March 30th, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx unveiled a revised version of the GROW AMERICA Act, the Administration’s proposal for a multi-year surface transportation bill. As newly proposed, the GROW AMERICA Act would authorize a strong funding level of $478 billion over six years (as opposed to $302 billion over four years authorized in the previous version). As in the previous version, the Administration recommends that highway, transit, and passenger rail programs be funded through a restructured Transportation Trust Fund. Funding for that Trust Fund would be a combination of current Highway Trust Fund revenue supplemented by a 14 percent transition tax on the approximate $2 trillion of foreign earnings that U.S. companies have accumulated overseas (“repatriation”).

FY 2015 Apportionments and Allocations Now Available

FTA has now published its Fiscal Year 2015 Apportionments, Allocations, and Program Information, providing funding for FTA’s programs as authorized by MAP-21, pursuant to the FY 2015 Appropriations Act. For FTA’s formula assistance programs, the amounts apportioned are approximately 8/12th or $5.722 billion in contract authority at this time. The notice and apportionment tables are available at: http://www.fta.dot.gov/grants/12853.html

Appropriations Hearing on Administration Budget

​Legislative Alert from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA)

Second Surface Transportation Hearing Held by Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

Legislative Alert for the American Public Transportation Association (APTA)

Obama Signs $1.1 Trillion Government Spending BillSummaryofBills

The 114th Congress has been working to wrap up this year with a series of end-of-year bills. Some of those directly affect public transportation. A quick summary of two of those bills is provided.

Budget compromise keeps highways and transit steady, cuts TIGER

The $1.01 trillion spending agreement reached by House and Senate negotiators on Tuesday (December 9, 2014) night freezes highway spending at $40 billion while avoiding the big cuts to transit projects in the House proposal.