Jeffrey A. Nelson, general manager, Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District (MetroLINK), Moline, IL, has assumed the role of APTA Chair. He takes over from Nuria I. Fernandez, general manager/CEO, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), San Jose, CA, who has been appointed FTA Deputy Administrator. Nelson’s primary responsibilities will be overseeing APTA’s Mobility Recovery & Restoration efforts, working with Congress and the Administration on priorities for public transit, and advancing APTA’s strategic plan. His term will extend until the end of 2022.

A. Bradley Mims, president and CEO of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO), who was a member of President Biden’s transition team, has been appointed Deputy Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration. APTA and COMTO have had a long-standing partnership.

APTA issued a statement welcoming and congratulating newly inaugurated President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and Vice President Kamala D. Harris Jan. 21, “On behalf of the more than 1,500 member organizations of APTA and the tens of millions of public transit riders.”

January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month. In this issue of Passenger Transport, industry leaders discuss how public transportation is working diligently to raise awareness of and combat human trafficking.

 

With January as Human Trafficking Month, the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), CA, is fully wrapping a bus with the message to join Orange County in fighting this form of modern-day slavery through the “Be The One” campaign. The addition of a fully wrapped bus means that two 40-foot buses will travel across Orange County wrapped in the Be The One (BT1) campaign ad, and buses throughout the county display interior cards with the National Human Trafficking Hotline: 888-3737-888. OCTA’s efforts also includes training all operators how to spot and report potential human-trafficking crimes and to get help for potential victims. With January as Human Trafficking Month, the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), CA, is fully wrapping a bus with the message to join Orange County in fighting this form of modern-day slavery through the “Be The One” campaign. The addition of a fully wrapped bus means that two 40-foot buses will travel across Orange County wrapped in the Be The One (BT1) campaign ad, and buses throughout the county display interior cards with the National Human Trafficking Hotline: 888-3737-888. OCTA’s efforts also includes training all operators how to spot and report potential human-trafficking crimes and to get help for potential victims.

 

The Metra Board of Directors, Chicago, has approved the purchase of up to 500 state-of-the-art railcars from Alstom Transportation Inc. The new cars will offer increased reliability, while reducing operating costs, as compared to the increasing expense of maintaining current, older cars.

 

FTA has announced that 37 projects will receive a share of $15.8 million in funding through its Public Transportation COVID-19 Research Demonstration Program to support strategies that develop, deploy and demonstrate solutions that improve the operational efficiency of public transit agencies and enhance rider mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Via Arlington, the on-demand public transit service in the City of Arlington, TX, has expanded to reach all neighborhoods, shopping centers, offices, restaurants, medical facilities and other key destinations.

 

Proterra Inc. has announced that it will become publicly listed through a transaction with ArcLight Clean Transition Corp., a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company.

Jack Allen, Proterra chairman and CEO, will continue to lead the company, and Jake Erhard, ArcLight president, CEO and director, will join Proterra’s board of directors.