November 2022 - 8

PEOPLE & PLACES
THE LASTEST INDUSTRY NEWS
CTA partners with Olive-Harvey
College on free CLP course
▶ Chicago Transit Authority launched a
partnership with Olive-Harvey College
that will offer a free preparatory course
that will help candidates in meeting
the hiring requirement of obtaining a
commercial learner's permit (CLP). A
CLP is needed to obtain a commercial
driver's license (CDL) Class " B " . The two
week course is available to qualified CTA
applicants with the authority covering
the costs of tuition, training, books, fees
and other expenses associated with the
program, including the cost of the permit
exam, in an effort to remove financial
barriers for students to pursue and complete
the program.
MassTransitmag.com/21283815
PSTA
THE SUNRUNNER BRT started service on Oct. 21, 2022.
Strong debut for PSTA's SunRunner BRT
Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) began service on its SunRunner
bus rapid transit (BRT) route on Friday, Oct. 21. The 10.3-mile line
is Tampa Bay's first BRT and connects St. Pete Beach to St. Petersburg,
Fla. The service, which will be free for the first six months of operation,
surpassed 10,000 riders in its first four days of operation. The SunRunner
features semi-dedicated lanes, limited stops and safety enhancements for
riders including level boarding platforms and crosswalks. The route is
operated with hybrid vehicles with service every 15 minutes during the
day and every 30 minutes between 8 p.m. and midnight.
MassTransitmag.com/21285031
2022 election results:
Voters support 14 out of 19
transit ballot initiatives
▶ The November 2022 midterm election
in the United States saw voters approve
14 of the 19 transit measures put before
them in communities across the country.
Among the measures approved are a tax
on high income earners in Massachusetts
with a portion of the revenues supporting
transit investments, a more than
$52-million bond in Arlington County,
Va., where transit will benefit from the
funds and various millage renewals in
Michigan. The measures passed add to
the 15 that have already been passed by
voters in 2022; bringing the total to 29
out of 36 wins for transit, which is an
80.56 percent win rate and represents
billions in transit investment. The results
add to a string of historic years for transit
at the ballot box, with more than 85
percent of measures winning for public
transit from 2017 to 2022. At a time when
the federal government is more committed
than ever to funding transit and
infrastructure, APTA says voters agree
and are putting their money where their
mouth is to provide a local match.
" Voters support transit at the ballot
box because it can transform a community
and create pathways to a more
equitable and accessible future, " said
Josh Cohen, executive director of APTA's
Center for Transportation Excellence.
" While some of the larger measures
suffered a setback, the results from the
2022 elections reflect a years-long trend
toward greater investment. "
MassTransitmag.com/21286633
8 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | NOVEMBER 2022
A CTA bus operating in Chicago's loop.
Chicago Transit Authority
Honolulu rail project remains
eligible for federal funds with
FTA approval of recovery plan
▶ The Honolulu Authority for Rapid
Transportation (HART) remains eligible
to receive the remaining federal funds
committed to its rail project under a Full
Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) with
the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
following FTA's approval of its 2022
Recovery Plan. The recovery plan was
required by the FTA to document how
the rail project would be completed
within the amount of funding that is
forecast to be available. The recovery
plan includes amending the FFGA to
reflect a rail project that is 1.25 miles
shorter than the original scope of work,
which will reduce the estimated project
costs from $10.46 billion to $9.93 billion.
HART says the forecast funding is sufficient
to cover the costs of the reduced
scope. There is $744 million in federal
funding that remains to be distributed
to HART and, according to a letter from
FTA Regional Administrator Ray Tellis,
$125 million will be allotted at the conclusion
of the FFGA being amended and
a second release of $250 million will be
contingent on awarding the City Center
Guideway and Stations contract. HART
projects the contract will be awarded in
fiscal year 2024.
MassTransitmag.com/21282574
http://www.MassTransitmag.com/21283815 http://www.MassTransitmag.com/21285031 http://www.MassTransitmag.com/21286633 http://www.MassTransitmag.com/21282574 http://www.MassTransitmag.com
November 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November 2022
