MTA steps up security efforts. Brightline could deliver service to Tampa. Hawaii provides autonomous airport shuttles. And Stanley Cup playoffs are serious business for Canadian transit. Welcome to your Transit Unplugged News Minute.

Sources:

• https://new.mta.info/press-release/photos-mta-police-officers-graduate-nypd-academy-0
• https://ridebeep.com/press-releases/beep-launches-at-honolulus-international-airport
• https://www.tampabay.com/news/tampa/2024/05/07/when-is-brightline-high-speed-rail-coming-to-tampa-mayor-castor-orlando/
• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-7193591918788767747-Ok71/

Big collaboration news in the US capital region the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments launched a historic initiative, creating comprehensive regional transit planning for Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

Congratulations to the winners of the APTA Bus Safety, Security, and Emergency Management Awards. Winners include CapMetro and Corpus Christi in Texas; Clark County in Vancouver, Washington; MARTA in Atlanta; and IndyGo in Indianapolis.

And we might see a passenger rail line connecting Calgary, Alberta and Livingston, Montana. A feasibility report says rail service could create easy cross-border tourism between Banff, Calgary, Yellowstone National Park, and Glacier National Park.

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

Sources:

COG, Metro launch historic initiative, DMVMoves, to create a unified vision and sustainable funding model for public transit in the region | WMATA

APTA Announces 2024 Bus Safety, Security, and Emergency Management Winners at Mobility Conference | Passenger Transport

Alberta-Montana Passenger Rail Feasibility Report

The BBC reports an autonomous transit bus is being tested in Seoul, South Korea, the first of its kind in the world. The self-driving Night Bus still requires a safety driver at this time while testing is underway.

Anaheim Transportation Network opened a new electric bus charging facility. As one of the first all-electric bus fleets in California, the new facility will manage the charging of over 80 electric buses.

And don’t be surprised if you see Stormtroopers patrolling transit systems on Star Wars Day this Saturday. In the past, Vancouver’s TransLink put Jakku and Mos Eisley stops in their transit maps… and VIA Metropolitan Transit in San Antonio made a video of the Jedi forces needed to public transportation. Links are included in the description... and May the 4th be with you.

BBC: https://www-bbc-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.bbc.com/news/business-68823705.amp

Anaheim Transit Network: https://rideart.org/news-media/

Vancouver is Awesome: https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/local-news/heres-what-may-the-fourth-looked-like-on-vancouver-social-media-3750266

VIA Metropolitan Transit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rJdcaHPGAc

Welcome to your Transit Unplugged News Minute. Brightline breaks ground in Vegas… Broward County Transit addresses homelessness with a compassionate approach… and Earth Day Canada is giving away year-long transit passes.

Sources:

https://www.brightlinewest.com/media/press-releases

https://www.broward.org/BCT/Pages/default.aspx

https://earthday.ca/april-22/campaign/leg-day/

An innovative trespassing system will be tested on passenger rail tracks in California… a new report says public transit is good for the environment… and a new group of graduates is ready to work on the California high speed rail project.

Welcome to your Transit Unplugged News Minute.

Southern California’s passenger rail, MetroLink, was awarded a DOT grant to develop a first-of-its kind intruder detection system on its tracks. The prototype will use (AI)-equipped cameras and sensors to identify track intrusions, and it will automatically slow or stop trains approaching that section of the rail line. https://metrolinktrains.com/news/metrolink-news/metrolink-receives-federal-funding-for-first-of-its-kind-track-intrusion-detection-system/

A new report from the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission confirms public transit is good for the environment. It found public transit reduces up to 160,000 metric tons of C02 emissions in Northern Virginia each year. https://novatransit.org/uploads/studiesarchive/2024%20Climate%20Benefits%20of%20Transit%20in%20Northern%20Virginia.pdf?mc_cid=5b1c7046b5&mc_eid=8a85fd1fd3

And congratulations to the 16 new graduates of the California High-Speed Rail Authority pre-apprenticeship program. They are now trained and ready to work on the high-speed rail project. https://www.facebook.com/CaliforniaHighSpeedRail/posts/pfbid0yRAUAufijaepZTsKRKQ7C21pFQz582pwoKC8uCzm3kqr6W4mDfC8kdtVEAHgPFUQl

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

I’m Julie Gates.

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority successfully completed its five year tunnel drilling project to expand the D Line subway and connect downtown and West L.A. One of the engineering challenges included The program included drilling through prehistoric tar sands near the La Brea Tar Pits. Source: LA Metro

Las Vegas is starting a pilot program to use artificial intelligence to reduce pedestrian related crashes. The program will be implemented in the busy Fremont Street corridor. It will detect real time pedestrian activity and adapt traffic signals to create safer pedestrian crossing times. Source: Office of Rep. Dina Titus

CapMetro hosted a total solar eclipse event. Picnic for the public in Austin, Texas, the agency provided meals and viewing glasses and allowed its operators to stop their vehicles during the minutes of total darkness. Source: Cap Metro

The IBTTA extends support to Baltimore, New York is one step closer to congestion pricing, and the ThinkTransit Conference wraps up in Tucson. Welcome to your Transit Unplugged News Minute.

In response to the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, the International Bridge, Tunnel, and Turnpike Association has offered its support, saying we stand in solidarity with the Maryland Department of Transportation and our member, the Maryland Transportation Authority, which operates the bridge. Source: IBTTA

In New York, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board finalized its approval of congestion pricing, paving the way for the agency to implement a toll in Manhattan below 60th Street. The program will be implemented in June. Source: MTA

And the Think Transit Conference has wrapped up in Tucson, Arizona. The event included an executive summit where industry leaders workshopped solutions for operator safety and increasing revenue generation. Source: ThinkTransit

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

are evasion enforcement is heating up and the MBTA is celebrating transit driver appreciation month.

With a fiscal cliff coming for many transit agencies who are nearing the end of COVID relief subsidies, farebox revenue is becoming increasingly important and now there are efforts to step up fare enforcement.

Last year, the Toronto Transit Commission lost nearly $124 million dollars to fare evasion. Today, the TTC is rolling out a new campaign to remind riders about the importance of paying fares.

Washington DC Metro Transit Police have additional support when dealing with fare evasion, thanks to a new District of Columbia law. Violators could face up to $100 fines.

And the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is celebrating transit driver appreciation month by featuring operator stories on YouTube and collecting thank you notes for riders’ favorite bus drivers and rail operators.