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With public transportation usage growing around the nation, many agencies are looking at ways to attract millennials, who are looking for more options and driving less and less, according to respondents of METRO’s Top 100 Bus Fleets survey.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) New York City Transit/MTA Bus Co. tops this year’s list with 5,759 total vehicles. Showing some movement this year, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (2,378), New Jersey Transit (2,233), Seattle’s King County Metro Transit (1,882) and the Toronto Transit Commission (1,869) round out this year’s top five, which collectively totals 14,121 vehicles, or 21 percent of this year’s overall 66,056 total vehicles — down slightly compared to 2014, although last year’s list ranked the Top 110 bus fleets.

Click here to read the full results of the survey.

Read more from Metro Magazine.

Tags Big Blue Bus, bus, NJ Transit, SEPTA, transit

WASHINGTON – The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has recently accepted two reports from the Transit Advisory Committee for Safety (TRACS), a safety committee established by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation and compromised of transit industry stakeholders.

In Establishing a Fatigue Management Program for the Bus and Rail Industry, the report identifies the major organizational and behavioral challenges that may be faced in addressing transit employee fatigue and recommends components of a successful fatigue management program.

In Preventing and Mitigating Transit Worker Assaults in the Bus and Transit Industry, the report discusses the risks and impediments to a safe workplace and recommends a process and measures to reduce the hazards that enable these assaults.

FTA will review the recommendations from both reports as it considers possible future action on these safety issues.

Tags Federal Transit Administration, FTA, TRACS, Transit Advisory Committee for Safety

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today published detailed guidance to transit agencies on how to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Since the ADA became law in 1990, FTA has ensured that transit systems comply with the ADA’s provisions on public transportation, primarily through education and investigations of possible violations. To enhance understanding of the Act, the new circular offers a user-friendly, one-stop resource on its requirements.

“We have made great progress in advancing accessible public transportation, but we still have work to do,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Foxx. “We must ensure that Americans of all ages and abilities can access our nation’s transportation system. Today’s guidance reinforces our commitment to full implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.”

Public transit ridership increased 25 percent over the last 20 years, including a rise in the number of passengers with disabilities, according to DOT’s Beyond Traffic report. Transit agencies have made major capital investments to make nearly all of America’s busiest public transit stations accessible. Today, nearly all transit buses, light rail and heavy rail vehicles are ADA accessible, as well as two-thirds of rail transit stations.

“One of the important jobs we do at FTA is to ensure mobility for everyone, and this ADA Circular will help do just that,” said FTA Acting Administrator Therese McMillan. “For people of all abilities and ages, public transportation provides a lifeline to jobs, education and medical care. We need to maintain these ladders of opportunity for all.”

With the 25th anniversary of the landmark legislation as a backdrop, the release of FTA’s ADA Circular represents a major milestone in assistance to the transit community. It thoroughly explains ADA requirements for public transit, providing real-life situations as examples of good practices for the transit industry to ensure accessible services for riders. The document does not amend or supersede the DOT ADA regulations; rather, it offers explanatory scenarios and sample templates, such as a rail station checklist for new construction and alterations.

FTA developed the ADA Circular in three phases because of the breadth of the regulations. Each chapter was submitted to the public for notice and comment in the Federal Register and went through a 60-day comment period.

Tags ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act, Federal Transit Administration, FTA

A southbound Amtrak train derailed Monday morning in central Vermont after apparently striking a rock slide, officials said.

The accident occurred in the town of Northfield, about 10 miles south of Montpelier, the state capital.

A spokesperson for the Montpelier Fire Department said they had reports of four people injured so far after five cars derailed, two of which tumbled over a bank. There have been no reported deaths, the spokesperson, Lt. Dana Huoppi, said. A federal official told NBC News that none of the injuries so far appeared life-threatening.

Read more from The Hill.

Read the full September jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics here.

Tags BLS, Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment, jobs, transportation sector

Troy J. Jordan, 49, of Shawnee, Kansas died in an accident while working on Union Pacific property in Kansas City, Kan. Sept. 29, 2015.

After high school, Jordan graduated from Central Missouri State University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Jordan hired out with Union Pacific railroad in 2008 and became a member of SMART Transportation Division Local 1403 (Kansas City, Mo.) that same year. Jordan was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Parish and was proud of his Irish heritage.

Jordan leaves behind his wife of nine years Dorothy, children McKinsey, Tyler, Shannon, Emilee, Brianna Smith, Tori (Grant) Frazier, parents Bobbie and Joe, grandchildren Brooklynn Smith, Tucker Smith, Kinadee Frazier and Carson Frazier.

Visitation will be 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4 at the Amos Family Funeral Home, 10901 Johnson Dr., Shawnee, KS 66203. A Mass of Christian burial will be held 10 a.m. Monday, Oct. 5 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 11311 Johnson Dr., Shawnee, KS 66203. Interment will follow at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery, also in Shawnee. Memorial contributions may be made to the family in care of Amos Family Funeral Home.

Click here to see Jordan’s obituary and to leave condolences.

Tags member killed on the job, Troy Jordan, Union Pacific, UP

WASHINGTON – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced today that the Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Driver Restart Study has concluded data collection for the congressionally-mandated naturalistic study of the operational, safety, health, and fatigue impacts of two provisions of the hours-of-service (HOS) restart regulations.

Following the study requirements set forth by Congress, the study team collected data to compare five-month work schedules of drivers to assess safety critical events (e.g., crashes, near-crashes, and crash-relevant conflicts), operator fatigue/alertness, and short-term health outcomes of drivers who operate under the HOS restart provisions in effect between July 1, 2013 and December 15, 2014, and those drivers who operate under the provisions as in effect prior to July 1, 2013.

Drivers from a wide variety of fleet sizes and operations provided a substantial amount of data throughout the course of the study period. More than 220 participating drivers contributed data as they drove their normal, revenue-producing routes, including:

More than 3,000 driver duty cycles, as captured by electronic logging devices
More than 75,000 driver alertness tests
More than 22,000 days of driver sleep data

Data analysis has commenced, and the agency is working toward completing the final report by the end of the year. The agency does not have preliminary study findings; however, FMCSA is pleased with the high volume of data collected from participating drivers and expects this data will help inform future activities by the agency as well as the current study.

The Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (P.L. 113-235), enacted December 16, 2014, suspended enforcement of sections 395.3(c) and 395.3(d) of the HOS regulations. Section 395.3(c) requires a CMV driver who wants to restart his/her weekly driving window (of 60 hours on duty in 7 consecutive days, or 70 hours in 8 consecutive days) to take two consecutive periods off duty from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. as part of the 34-hour (or longer) restart. Section 395.3(d) allows the voluntary 34-hour restart to be used only once every seven days. These provisions were enacted following extensive research and public comment with the goal of reducing excessively long work hours that increase both the risk of fatigue-related crashes and long-term health problems for drivers. Enforcement of these sections will remain suspended as required by Congress until the Secretary of Transportation submits the CMV Driver Restart Study final report to Congress.

For additional information and to view an updated list of Frequently Asked Questions, click here.

Tags CMV, driver fatigue, fatigue, FMCSA, hours of service

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Sept. 30 issued a proposed rule that would require public transportation agencies to monitor and manage their capital assets to achieve and maintain a state of good repair. Identifying and prioritizing maintenance and repair needs of transit vehicles and infrastructure could lower costs, increase reliability and performance, reduce travel delays for passengers, promote resilience, and yield system safety improvements.

“Transit ridership is rising, public transportation equipment and infrastructure are aging, and there is a growing backlog of transit-related capital maintenance needs with limited funding available,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “Better and more efficient management of transit assets is a smart way to get more from our investments while ensuring we maintain the safe, reliable and accessible transit service the American public deserves.”

The proposed rule would require public transportation agencies to develop a Transit Asset Management (TAM) Plan that determines the condition of its capital assets, including the system’s equipment, rolling stock, infrastructure, and facilities. To reduce the burden on small operators, the proposed rule offers a two-tiered approach for the TAM Plan requirement. Small transit providers operating 100 or fewer vehicles in revenue service and no rail fixed-guideway service and all subrecipients under the Rural Area Formula Program would be allowed to participate in a Group TAM Plan that would be developed by a State or other direct recipient of FTA funding.

The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) directs FTA to create a TAM System to help transit agencies achieve a better and more informed balance between system preservation and expansion projects, with a strong focus on improving safety. The TAM System is intended to provide a transit agency with a comprehensive understanding of how the condition of its capital assets may impact the safety of its system.

“Strategic and targeted investments to replace and rehabilitate aging transit infrastructure are needed to bring the Nation’s bus and rail systems into a state of good repair,” said FTA Acting Administrator Therese McMillan. “Given the diversity of transit systems, from complex urban networks to small operators in rural communities, the proposed rule offers a flexible approach for public transportation providers to better manage and maintain their assets.”

The proposed rule would also define the term “state of good repair,” establish state of good repair performance measures, and have transit agencies set performance targets based on those measures, which they can then use to prioritize limited capital investment funding. In addition, transit agencies would be required to report new information to the National Transit Database.

Insufficient funding combined with inadequate asset management practices have contributed to an estimated $86 billion transit in state of good repair backlogs nationwide that continues to grow with reduced levels of investment. To address this need, the Administration’s multi-year transportation funding bill, the GROW AMERICA Act, proposes a total of $7.6 billion in fiscal year 2016 to support FTA’s state of good repair efforts, with incremental increases in each fiscal year through the end of the Act’s authorization period.

Public comments on the proposed rule are accepted through Nov. 30, 2015.

Tags FTA, Grow America Act, MAP 21, proposed rule, TAM, Transit Asset Management, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx

laptop The SMART Transportation Division will be conducting a Treasurers’ Workshop at the Drury Inn & Suites Kansas City Airport on October 27 and 28, 2015. Attendance will be limited to 35 registrants, so those interested in attending are instructed to contact Dora Wolf in the Updating Department by calling (216) 228-9400, or by email at dwolf@smart-union.org as soon as possible to reserve a spot in the class.

While all treasurers will likely benefit from this workshop, newly elected treasurers are strongly encouraged to attend. The two-day training session comes at no cost to the local. However, the local is responsible for all expenses associated with the treasurer’s attendance. Lost time or salary, travel, hotel and meal expenses connected with attendance may be reimbursed if pre-approved at a local meeting as an allowable expense of the local.

The workshop will provide local treasurers training on the responsibilities and reporting duties pertaining to the office, including direct receipts and WinStabs. It will also focus on the completion of mandatory filings with the IRS and Department of Labor.

As previously stated, the workshop will be held at the Drury Inn & Suites Kansas City Airport, 7900 NW Tiffany Springs Pkwy, Kansas City, MO 64153. A negotiated group rate of $79 per night, plus tax, is available and the deadline for room reservations is October 1, 2015.

Reservations can be made online at www.druryhotels.com, using our group code of 2256372 or by calling the Drury Inn & Suites Kansas City Airport toll-free at (800) 325-0720 and refer to group number 2256372 when making your reservation. The Drury Inn & Suites Kansas City Airport provides a complimentary shuttle service and a complimentary breakfast.

Training sessions will be conducted by SMART Transportation Division Auditors Bobby Brantley, John Purcell and Mike Araujo. Space is limited and attendees will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. It is recommended that those attending make their hotel reservations at the time of registration with SMART TD.

Tags treasurers' workshop

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Authorities are investigating after a Union Pacific Railroad employee was found dead under a rail car in Kansas City, Kansas.

According to police, officers responded to reports of a person trapped under a train in a rail yard around 11:20 a.m. Tuesday.