update
HART planning new transit station The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit agency is planning to construct a park-and-ride station to connect Brandon commuter to MacDill Air Force Base and downtown Tampa. According to the St. Petersburg Times, HART is interested in purchasing land just south of the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway that will accommodate up to 250 cars. Buses would stop to pick up passengers headed for Tampa and MacDill AFB. In addition to covered waiting areas with benches, the agency wants to include restrooms and an indoor snack bar or some other leased space. The plan is to have the new transit station open by March 2013. The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority was created in October of 1979.
Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) buses will soon be rolling into a new park-and-ride station outside of Tampa, FL.
Cincy Metro adds eight new hybrids Cincinnati Metro has added eight new hybrid buses to its fleet. The new vehicles join six other hybrids that began service on Dec. 19. The 14 new hybrids more than doubled Metro’s hybrid fleet. With the new additions, Metro now has 27 hybrid buses in service for this year. The new hybrid buses were purchased with funding from the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Clean & Green and
Next Generation programs, the Federal Transit Administration’s Clean Fuels program, federal earmarks and the City of Cincinnati’s Transit Fund. In 2011, Metro’s hybrids reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 823 tons. Metro is a non-profit, tax-funded public service of the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, providing more than 17 million rides per year.
First Transit awarded Valley Metro contract Cincinnati, OH-based First Transit has been awarded a three-year contract with two option years to operate the City of Phoenix fixed-route service, Valley Metro. This service started on Oct. 1, 2007. Valley Metro operates 151 vehicles throughout the
BR ief
Bus ridership for Columbus, OH-based Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) increased 10.8 percent in the third quarter of 2011. Nationally, public transportation saw a 1.4 percent increase, with 2.6 billion trips taken.
BR ief
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced in mid-December that 46 transportation projects in 33 states and Puerto Rico will receive a total of $511 million from the third round of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s popular TIGER program.
BR ief
Tulsa Transit’s Lift Program received a pair of new compressed natural gas MV-1 vehicles from Apache Corp. The MV-1s are factory-built paratransit vans. Total value of both vehicles was more than $100,000.
BR ief
In late December, 39 MTA New York City Transit employees were honored with medals and certificates of excellence for their roles in aiding customers and fellow workers in time of trouble.
14
February 2012
greater Phoenix area. The contract – the first in Arizona for First Transit – has a first-year value of about $22 million. “First Transit has a great management team set for Valley Metro and is very excited to start operating in Arizona,” said First Transit’s Senior Vice President Nick Promponas.
Alexandria Transit unveils new hybrid electric buses Alexandria, Virginia’s first clean diesel hybrid electric DASH buses were on display for a preview at Alexandria’s City Hall on Dec. 8. The purchase consisted of seven 35-foot hybrid buses and three 40-foot hybrid buses. In addition, Alexandria Transit has also purchased five 30-foot hybrid trolleys. The trolleys will go in to service in April 2012, when DASH begins operating the King Street Trolley. The DASH buses will operate on an environmentally-friendly mix of ultra-low sulfur diesel and electricity. The hybrid buses feature a wider body, low-floor entry, bike racks, improved mirrors, and wheelchair ramps instead of lifts.
BUSRide