Transit Unplugged Weekly News Minute with Julie Gates

The American Public Transportation Association released its “Transit Wrapped 2024” report, listing the transit agencies with the largest ridership increases this year. The top of the list included the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Seattle’s King County Metro, and San Francisco Muni. Source APTA/Instagram

Houston METRO has broken ground on its new, 30,000 square-foot Maintenance of Way facility. This key project will enhance efficiency, safety, and reliability across the METRORail system. Source: METRO

And Taylor Swift Era’s concert Tour wrapped in Vancouver, BC. TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn said he couldn’t be more proud of the important role his team played to move tens of thousands of concertgoers safely and efficiently, while having fun along the way.” Source: Kevin Quinn/LinkedIn

AI is going to report you if you drive in Seattle's bus only lanes, APTA talks Trump Vance transit funding, and the TTC is turning a parking lot into over 1,400 homes. Welcome to your Transit Unplugged News Minute.

King County Metro in the Seattle area started a pilot project, installing cameras with artificial intelligence on buses to watch for drivers in transit only lanes. At this time, they are only gathering data, so no tickets will be issued to violators.

The American Public Transportation Association held its winter legislative meeting. President and CEO Paul Skoutelas said we must continue to explain the economic and business benefits of investing in public transportation to the Trump Vance Administration as we push for appropriations.

The Toronto Transit Commission celebrates the development of a new transit oriented housing project. The plan will turn land that was used for parking into over 1,400 homes.

And California's Santa Clarita Transit is offering holiday light tours, showing the area's most magical light displays from the comfort of the Santa Clarita Transit Trolley.

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APTA is asking the government to approve emergency relief funding for hurricane victims. You can take a college course this summer in France and Spain to learn about high speed rail, and CUTA will be teaching riders about good manners. Welcome to your Transit Unplugged News Minute.

The American Public Transportation Association is urging Congress to approve over 57 million in federal emergency funding to assist public transit agencies recovering from recent disasters, including Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Source: APTA

San Jose State University is hosting a study abroad class this summer in France and Spain focusing on high speed rail station planning. The class is open to working professionals who have completed a four year degree and university students. Source: SJSU

And the Canadian Urban Transit Association has launched a national campaign to promote safety, courtesy, and respect across all transit systems in Canada. Among many initiatives, the Transit Code will educate riders on general rider etiquette and prohibited conduct. Source: CUTA

This Transit Unplugged News Minute is being brought to you by Modaxo. I'm Julie Gates.

According to the Associated Press, President elect Donald Trump is naming former Wisconsin Representative Sean Duffy as his nominee to be Transportation Secretary. Duffy is co host of the "Bottom Line" on Fox Business and was featured on MTV's "Road Rules" and "The Real World." Source: AP

Amtrak has successfully completed its track renewal work on the Harrisburg line between Lancaster and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It includes over 43 miles of track upgrades built to last for over 50 years, and it should provide a smoother, more comfortable ride. Source: Amtrak (via LinkedIn)

And AAA projects that 80 million Americans will travel for Thanksgiving this week, which is a record breaking number. Thanksgiving is the busiest holiday for travel in the United States. Source: AAA

This Transit Unplugged News Minute is being brought to you by Modaxo, passionate about moving the world's people.

Congestion pricing came back from the dead in New York City, and it's CUTA conference time. Welcome to your Transit Unplugged News Minute, where we cover the biggest stories in the transit industry.

After being put on hold last summer, New York's congestion pricing just got the green light from the governor. The new $9 toll for the most gridlocked part of Manhattan will go into effect on January 5th. Congestion pricing has been successful in crowded cities like Singapore, London, and Stockholm, and proponents believe it will help New York City eliminate traffic, reduce pollution, and bring necessary revenue to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Source: NY MTA

Canada's largest transit events take place this week in Toronto. The Canadian Urban Transit Association's annual conference, along with the one day Canadian Transit Show, run through Thursday. Source: CUTA

And leading the way for innovation in transit, the Jacksonville Transit Authority Board, in partnership with the Florida Public Transportation Association, approved a shortlist for statewide procurement for autonomous transit vehicles. Source: JTA

This Transit Unplugged News Minute is being brought to you by Modaxo.

Transit won big in last week's United States elections, with 19 out of 25 communities approving transit measures on their ballots. According to the American Public Transportation Association, transit has seen an 86.67% win rate in 2024, with more than $25 billion going to fund public transit. Source: APTA

On Remembrance Day, November 11th, Vancouver's TransLink is providing free transit to veterans and military personnel in honor of their service and sacrifice. Source: TransLink

The Chicago Transit Authority launched its new fall schedule, providing pre pandemic levels of rail service. The CTA is adding over 1,200 weekly rail trips each year. And increasing service by 20%. Source: CTA

And congratulations to New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which celebrated its one billionth subway rider of 2024. In celebration, rider Michael Carrasquillo received one month of unlimited subway rides. Source: NY MTA

This Transit Unplugged News Minute is being brought to you by Modaxo.

Welcome to your Transit Unplugged News Minute where we cover the biggest headlines in the public transit industry.

It’s Election week in the United States, with 23 transit initiatives on the ballot in 9 states. On Thursday, The American Public Transportation Association will hold a post-election webinar to discuss how the results will impact the transit industry. Source: APTA

You better behave if you’re going to ride transit in the City of Calgary, Alberta. The City increased its fines including verbal harassment, threats, and intimidation directed at transit operators, riders, and staff. Source: City of Calgary

Congratulations to the North County Transit District for breaking ground on its hydrogen fueling station in Oceanside, Calif. Source: LinkedIn, via Shawn Donaghy, CEO of North County Transit District

And Escambia County Area Transit in Florida honored three longterm employees who have provided a combined 137 years of service. Bus Operator Willie Carter, Jr. celebrates his 50th year, and began driving buses before they even had air conditioning. In Florida! Source: ECAT

This Transit Unplugged News Minute is being brought to you by Modaxo, passionate about moving the world’s people.

The State of New York's very first hydrogen fuel cell electric buses have arrived at Rochester's Regional Transit Service. The vehicles join the fleet that already has 20 battery electric buses. Source: RTS

Trinity Metro in Fort Worth has brought some true Texas swagger to Cowtown with its new Orange Line service connecting downtown to the stockyards. The Texas themed buses feature Fort Worth's famous Cattle Drive and Billy Bob's Honky Tonk. Source: Trinity Metro

And transit is at the center of this week's Halloween festivities.

In Maryland, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation brings back Monster Flash, a decorated haunted house themed bus. And in Salem, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and Keolis added more commuter rail trips and coaches to the trains to accommodate the volume of visitors flocking to the Witch City for its annual Haunted Happenings Festival. Sources: Montgomery County and Keolis

This Transit Unplugged News Minute is being brought Modaxo, passionate about moving the world's people.

One of the biggest issues facing U.S. public transit is the bus manufacturing crisis. There aren’t enough manufacturers to make the number of zero-emission buses needed for agencies to reach their greenhouse gas reduction goals. One of the hurdles is too much customization.

To help, the L.A. Metro Board of Directors adopted a new policy, which includes coordinating with the other Los Angeles County transit agencies to buy their buses together with reduced customization. Source: LA METRO

Last week, Lane Transit District in Oregon held a “State of the District” event. One of their goals is for the community to try a transit or mobility option for one roundtrip each month, for a year. Source: Lane Transit District

And the Utah Transit Authority was having issues with the lifespan of the external bus speakers that they use for ADA announcements that help customers know which buses are pulling up to the stop. UTA's engineers got innovative and decided to use a 3D printer to make their own speaker housing unit that should be able to withstand the cold Utah winters. Source: UTA

This Transit Unplugged News Minute is being brought to you by Modaxo.

We've all been monitoring the heartbreaking news coming out of the Southeastern United States that has been ravaged by back to back hurricanes. The American Public Transportation Association has issued a statement saying APTA stands ready to aid our members, their employees, families, and communities. Source: APTA

This Wednesday, the Transit Unplugged Podcast will release a special episode featuring Florida transit leaders to hear the latest on their evacuation and recovery efforts. Be sure to tune in. Visit Transit Unplugged to listen and follow wherever you listen to podcasts.

In Edmonton, Alberta, they're seeing a record number of riders using transit services, with six million trips taken in September. Source: Edmonton Transit

And with Halloween only two weeks away, Lebanon Transit in Pennsylvania is holding its first costume contest, asking for riders to take photos of themselves in a costume with a Lebanon Transit bus, van, or bus shelter. The winner gets a 31 day bus pass and swag, because it's always about the swag. Source: Lebanon Transit (PA)

This Transit Unplugged News Minute is being brought to you by Modaxo.