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February 19, 2021 | An APTA Publication
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Public Transit: Connecting the Nation to COVID-19 Vaccines
Public transportation agencies and organizations are helping people get to COVID-19 vaccination sites by providing free rides, and in some cases, transit facilities have become vaccination clinics. These efforts have been made possible because of federal emergency funding provided to the public transit industry.
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APTA Board Appoints Tucker as Vice Chair
Matthew O. Tucker, executive director/CEO of the North County Transit District (NCTD), Oceanside, CA, has been appointed APTA vice chair. Tucker has served in his role at NCTD since 2008, where he oversees activities within the agency’s 1,020-square-mile service area.
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FTA Rescinds Dear Colleague Letter Regarding CIG Grants
FTA Acting Administrator Nuria I. Fernandez issued a Dear Colleague this week announcing that FTA is rescinding the June 29, 2018 Dear Colleague on the Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program, which changed CIG review policies and created uncertainty around standards for review. APTA had strongly advocated against its implementation.
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Public Transportation Marks Black History Month
Public transit agencies across the country are honoring Black History Month (February) with special buses, art and a variety of celebrations. In St. Petersburg, FL, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) has rolled out a new bus wrap featuring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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COMMENTARY
Reckoning, Reconciliation and Healing
Each of Us Can Fuel the Undercurrent of a More Just Society
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Each year, Black History Month marks an important time to bring more awareness to the contributions of Black Americans to the overall American story. It’s what Dr. Carter G. Woodson, often referred to as the “father of black history,” sought to accomplish when he helped to establish “Negro History Week” in 1926. Black Americans have emerged during each period of American history to advance our nation’s ability to secure a more prosperous future. I think about my grandfather, who fought on the Italian front in WWII as a Buffalo Solider. He returned home from war to a nation embroiled in conflict. Unable to find stable employment, he and his family joined millions of Black Americans in The Great Migration, moving north to escape discrimination in the south.
BY KAHLIL M. ALLEN
President and CEO
ADS System Safety Consulting, LLC
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Historic Snowstorm Batters Texas
Following earlier storms, Texas was hit with another massive snowstorm Feb. 16, leaving millions without power. Public transit agencies were hard at work supporting riders, but with many services reduced or suspended. Here, a Dallas Area Rapid Transit station bears the brunt of unprecedented snow and icy conditions.
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NCTD Rolls Out New COASTER Locomotives and Cars
The North County Transit District (NCTD), Oceanside, CA, with the support of regional transportation partners, has rolled out five new, state-of-the-art Siemens locomotives and several renovated COASTER passenger cars. The coach and cab cars will be painted with a new color scheme and will be equipped with new seating upholstery, new carpet, upgraded LED lighting and charging amenities at some seats.
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Dr. Kira Banks to Address APTA’s 2021 Mobility Conference
Dr. Kira Hudson Banks, an expert in race, racial identity and intergroup relationships, is the keynote speaker at the March 16 Opening General Session of APTA’s 2021 Mobility Conference virtual event March 16-18.
Banks is a tenured associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Saint Louis University. Her research examines the experience of discrimination, its impact on mental health and intergroup relations. Her teaching, research and community involvement are rooted in the values of Black Psychology, which uplifts the interconnectedness and resilience of people and rejects an individual and deficit approach.
Banks has served as a racial equity consultant for the Ferguson Commission and her thinking and writing have helped frame racial equity in the St. Louis region. She has published more than two dozen articles in peer-reviewed outlets including the American Psychologist, Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, Journal of Black Psychology, and Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. She has also contributed to The Harvard Business Review, Huffington Post and The Atlantic.
Learn more and register for APTA’s 2021 Mobility Conference virtual event at www.apta.com/mobility-conference.
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APTA Chair Nelson Addresses Conference of Mayors
Jeff Nelson, APTA chair and general manager, Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District (MetroLINK), Moline, IL, attended a virtual Meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors Transportation and Communications Committee, Feb. 12, as part of broader APTA efforts to work hand-in-hand with cities in the economic recovery and as the nation looks to “Build Back Better.”
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All Aboard: Diversity and Representation in the Public Transit Industry
BY CHRISTOPHER A. MILLER
Director of Content
Hill International, Inc.
Philadelphia, PA
2020 was a year of challenge and change for the entire U.S., but the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic downturn and social upheavals of the past year struck U.S. public transit agencies with particular force. Protests for racial equality, however, will perhaps have the greatest impact on public transit agencies over the years ahead.
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Classifieds
See the latest industry employment opportunities, proposals and notices.
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Agency Book Clubs Help Address Racism and Inequality
Public transit agencies have established a variety of programs and initiatives centered on diversity and social justice. Here, LA Metro and SEPTA discuss how they are using in-house book clubs to stimulate conversation about race.
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Special HART Bus Celebrates “The Black Family”
The theme of Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority’s (HART) Tampa, FL, Black History Month celebrations this year encourages representation, diversity and identity of “The Black Family”. The agency is sharing an educational video with local students that covers such topics as heads of the family, types of family relationships and various family backgrounds. The video also introduces youth to public transportation with a virtual tour around and inside this specially wrapped bus. HART also is continuing its Black History Month theme through bus stop shelter ads and social media promotions.
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Introducing APTAU Learning—A One-Stop-Shop
APTA announces the release of APTAU Learning, the association’s new Learning Management System at https://learning.aptagateway.com. APTAU Learning is a one-stop-shop for members and followers to register for upcoming webinars and special broadcasts, online courses, CEU programs and more. APTAU Learning also allows for quick retrieval of recorded programming and access to related resources.
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APTA Business Members: Backbone of APTF Scholarship Program
Recognizing the critical need to invest in the transportation leaders of the future, APTA business members have long been stalwart supporters of the American Public Transportation Foundation’s (APTF) scholarship program. At the 2021 Business Members Annual Meeting virtual event, Feb. 3-5, business members raised nearly $35,000 for the BMBG 2021 Annual Fundraising Campaign, surpassing last year’s donations of more than $21,000. Thank you!
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In Memoriam
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Robert S. O’Neil, Parsons
Robert O’Neil, former president of the Parsons Transportation Group, died Feb. 3 after a brief illness.
O’Neil graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in Civil Engineering and earned a master’s degree in Engineering from Catholic University in Washington, DC. He served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force before spending his entire post-military career at consulting engineering firm De Leuw, Cather & Company, later part of The Parsons Corporation.
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Passenger Transport Wishes to Thank its Advertisers
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American Public Transportation Association | 1300 I St. NW, Suite 1200 East | Washington, DC 20005
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