Missouri Public Transit Association

20th National Conference on Rural Public & Intercity Bus Transportation

http://www.ribtc.org/

The 20th National Conference on Rural Public & Intercity Bus Transportation (October 14-17, 2012 @ the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City, UT) is shaping up to be one of the best in years, and early registration fees of $395 per person are still available(www.ribtc.org). But, you must act quickly to secure that rate! The agenda promises the most up-to-date information on comprehensive topics relevant to your career. With the (unexpected and) last-minute passage of MAP-21, conference planners are making sure you get the facts on funding and important changes in the FTA  5310, 5311, 5311(f), 5317, JARC & New Freedom programs.

On Tuesday, October 16, join this lively dialogue with leaders of our national associations: Dale Marsico, Executive Director of the Community Transportation Association; Michael Melaniphy, President and CEO of the American Public Transportation Association; and Peter Pantuso, President and CEO of the American Bus Association will discuss the meaning of MAP-21 and the next reauthorization in 2014.

On Wednesday, October 17, participate in the traditional Town Hall Session --- The Future of Rural America: And What Are We Going To Do About It? --- an actively-facilitated program focusing on concerning demographic and economic trends for the future of rural America. And, contribute to an action research and political agenda for our industry and our industry partners.

City looking at bus advertising

http://www.newstribune.com/news/2012/aug/16/city-looking-bus-advertising/

Contract proposes $6,000 per year for ads on Jefftran buses

By Madeleine Leroux

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Jefferson City is considering a move to allow advertising on the exterior of transit buses, a move which could bring some additional revenue into the city.

At the Transportation and Traffic Commission meeting Wednesday, Public Works Director Roger Schwartze said the city sent out a request for proposals and received one response, which was reviewed earlier this week.

 

First riders board Columbia's FastCAT bus route

http://www.columbiamissourian.com/stories/2012/08/13/inaugural-day-new-experiment-fastcat/

Monday, August 13, 2012

BY ANNE ALLEN, ELIZABETH SCHELTENS

COLUMBIA — The scent of new plastic still hung in the air of the new gold and black bus when Glen Adams boarded it Monday morning at the Virginia Avenue stop.

"It smells good," said Adams, one of the bus' first passengers.

Monday marked the inaugural drive for the new FastCAT bus route. FastCAT marks a renewed effort by the city to revitalize its bus system, according to previous Missourian reports.

City transportation supervisor Drew Brooks said ridership on the first day of the new route was similar to the route FastCAT is replacing. He predicted that the number of riders will increase when school starts next week.

Beau Lipham, one of the drivers for the new route, agreed with Brooks.

"It's slow right now, but when students get here, it will be pandemonium," Lipham said.

According to Brooks, FastCAT is designed to be more student-centered while the previous route operated as a commuter route. The new route omits some stops, including Boone Hospital Center.

Before the changes were implemented, the city's Public Works Department handed out fliers to inform riders of the change. However, Lipham said, some riders were still confused about the changes.

"Two weeks free gives people time to figure it out," he said.

The FastCAT route is free to riders until Aug. 27; there will be a fee after that. This marks another difference between the routes. The previous route, funded by the parking division, was free for riders. The FastCAT route will cost $1.50 per ride or $100 per each semester.

"Anytime you make something free and then turn around and charge for it, people are not going to like it," Brooks said.

FastCAT's debut is also the start of a test to follow a bus model that is more focused on a specific demographic, according to previous Missourian reports.

"This is a bold experiment to see if it's a workable model," Brooks said.

The experiment includes a contract with the owners of the Brookside apartment complexes. The owners have agreed to purchase $80,000 worth of passes for their residents, in addition to paying for advertising on the buses, according to previous Missourian reports.

The city has also hired Christa Talmage, a marketing specialist, to help promote awareness of the new route.

Another feature of FastCAT, the RouteShout application, was not available Monday. RouteShout is an app that allows riders to track the arrival time of FastCAT buses using GPS technology.

"We're still trying to work with some technical stuff," Brooks said. He said the city hopes to have the app working by the end of the week.

Supervising editor is John Schneller.

 

OATS, Inc. to participate in Senior Day at the Missouri State Fair

(Sedalia, Missouri, August 9, 2012) – OATS, Inc. is teaming up with many statewide agencies to welcome hundreds of seniors to the Missouri State Fair this year.

OATS will host a booth at the Missouri State Fair Senior Day on Wednesday, August 15. Attendees will be able to receive information about topics of interest to seniors and join in the fun of the day. Citizens who need transportation to the State Fair Senior Day may call OATS to schedule a ride. Interested persons may call (660) 827-2611 or toll free number (800) 276-6287.

"OATS is extremely pleased to collaborate with the State Fair Commission to make Senior Day at the Fair possible” said Midwest Regional Director Tracy Walkup. “Thousands of Missourians rely on OATS for their transportation services, so sponsoring Senior Day is a natural fit for our organization,” said Walkup.

OATS is a private, not-for-profit corporation providing specialized transportation for senior citizens, people with disabilities and the rural general public in 87 Missouri counties. OATS is funded, in part, by an allotment of federal funds from the Missouri Department of Transportation and through contracts with various agencies. OATS also receives rider donations and private contributions, which are tax deductible.  For more information about OATS, Inc., please visit their website at www.oatstransit.org.

 

Joblinks Job Access Mobility Institute Seeks Applicants

Job Access Mobility Institute

The Community Transportation Association of America's Joblinks Employment Transportation Center is looking to support five communities in designing new and improved on-the-ground transportation services that respond to a key transportation challenge facing job seekers, trainees, and employees in their locale. The Job Access Mobility Institute is a multi-month, team-based research, design, and implementation process in which teams will develop and test a transportation service that solves a key challenge of their constituents. This opportunity will bring together innovative thinkers from the transportation, employment and training, and business sectors to solve their community's unique mobility challenges.

Application deadline: Friday, August 24, 2012

• Overview of the Job Access Mobility Institute
• Team Application

Learn more here: http://web1.ctaa.org/webmodules/webarticles/anmviewer.asp?a=2595&z=103

Study to recommend expanded transit service for U.S. 71/ Grandview corridor

From MARC's e-newsletter http://www.marc.org/transmat/fullstory.htm#story2:

The U.S. 71 Transit Study project team hosted a first round of open houses last month in Grandview and Kansas City, Mo., to discuss transit service improvements along the U.S. 71 Highway/Bruce R. Watkins Drive corridor. This corridor runs between downtown Kansas City and Grandview in Jackson County, Mo. The study kicked off in June and is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Existing transit service within the area has strong ridership, particularly on the Prospect Avenue route, which logs more than 5,500 passenger trips per week. However, transit service on U.S. 71 is limited to peak hours only, and the geographic extent of the service has been scaled back over time due to funding availability. Transit service within the northern part of the study area is more robust than in the rest of the region. But there is a need for expanded services throughout the corridor to provide more travel options and spur economic development in growing local communities.

The U.S. Transit Study goal is to identify a locally preferred alternative, which includes the type of transit the community wants in the corridor, the route it should follow, and favored financial strategies to support construction and operations. Identification of a locally preferred alternative is a required step if the region decides to seek federal money to build the project in the future.

The study team has narrowed the possible transit options to the following three, which will be studied in greater detail and in various combinations:

• Bus rapid transit on U.S. 71 and Prospect — enhanced bus service operating in mixed traffic or its own guideway, with the purpose of being time-competitive and offering similar amenities to a rail-transit vehicle
• Enhanced streetcar — electric- or hybrid-powered rail transit vehicle that can be operated in mixed traffic or its own guideway; connecting to future phases of the Kansas City Downtown Streetcar
• Diesel multiple unit — diesel-powered rail-transit vehicle that can operate in active rail-freight corridors

The study team and consultants are finalizing criteria that will be used to reduce possible alignments and transit modes to several for which costs and benefits will be evaluated in detail. The team is also developing technical documents on design, ridership calculations and cost estimates, and it will consider an array of financing options.

The U.S. 71 Transit Study is being integrated with other commuter corridor alternatives analyses inJackson County (Interstate 70 and Rock Island) and the downtown streetcar in Kansas City, Mo. Transit improvements in all of these corridors support the region's Smart Moves vision for expanded and enhanced transit service.

Study partners include Jackson County, Mo.; Kansas City, Mo.; the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority; and the Mid-America Regional Council. The U.S. Transit Study is funded largely by a $652,200 competitive grant from the Federal Highway Administration.

For more information, contact Tom Gerend.

 

FTA’s New National Fuel Cell Bus Program information page

Visit FTA’s New National Fuel Cell Bus Program information page: http://fta.dot.gov/about/14617.html

MAP-21 programs

FTA has posted a PowerPoint highlighting MAP-21 programs and a new program funding summary:

http://fta.dot.gov/map21