New York Public Transit Industry Convenes on "Doing Business Differently"

ALBANY, NY (11/18/2011)(readMedia)-- Public transit professionals met November 9-11 in Saratoga Springs for an industry conference on Doing Business Differently: A Summit on the Future of the New York Public Transit Industry. Educational sessions focused on leadership, technology, and maintenance & operations-related topics, and included specially-focused sessions for Rural Transportation Assistance Program (RTAP) recipients and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) – Region II training.

Speaking of this year's conference theme, NYPTA President and Chief Executive Officer of the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA), Carm Basile said: "Each year, the State's public transit professionals come together to share best practices and new ideas, develop and maintain partnerships, and network with colleagues and industry leaders. This year's program focused on how New York State's public transit community is responding tp changes in the industry. The conference specifically addressed the innovative ways public transit is doing business to enhance services and meet the needs of our communities."

A highlight of the conference was the New York Public Transit Industry 2011 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, held Wednesday, November 9th. Conference participants were joined by several of the Association's past presidents and past inductees, as well as close colleagues, family and friends, to pay tribute to four exceptional figures:

Christopher Boylan, Former Deputy Executive Director / Corporate & Community Affairs, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)

Peter Cassels, Former General Superintendent of Surface Transit, Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority (MABSTOA) (Formal induction posthumously. Early induction took place in 2010)

William Millar, Former President, American Public Transportation Association (APTA) (Early induction took place at the NY Public Transit Industry Spring Conference in June 2011)

Frances Pavia, Former Office Manager, Utica Transit Authority / Centro of Oneida, Inc.

In recognizing this year's inductees, President Carm Basile said: "I am honored to have had the opportunity to recognize the outstanding dedication and years of hard work of our new inductees. It is because of the exemplary leadership of individuals like Chris, Peter, Bill and Fran that the public transit industry in New York State and throughout the country, continues to make strides by educating the public, bolstering our advocacy efforts, and finding creative ways to better meet the needs of our communities.

Educational Sessions: Something for Everyone

NYPTA's 2011 Fall Conference program consisted of sessions tailored for every transit professional. National RTAP Executive Director Patricia Monahan provided insight on how RTAP recipients can use the National organization to support their success, while Dan Dalton, Senior Transportation Planner at KFH Group, offered an RTAP training session on mobility management.

The Association was honored to welcome Dr. Barbara Gannon, Executive Vice President and Executive Director of the Eno Transportation Foundation's Center for Transportation Leadership, who shared her expertise on Leading through Change and facilitated a Future Leaders Strategy Session.

FTA-Region II Acting Deputy Administrator Anthony Carr and his staff again partnered with NYPTA to provide timely training sessions to the State's transit professionals, with presentations on FTA grant development, the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), a US DOT Civil Rights update, and preparing for Fiscal Year 2012 Triennial reviews.

Keynote presentations included a panel discussion by the Association's past presidents on the future of public transit from a range of industry perspectives, an enlightening presentation by Ron Epstein, NYSDOT Chief Financial Officer, a comical and inspiring presentation by best-selling author Steve Gilliland, and a highly-anticipated presentation by Christopher Boylan on Ten Years after 9/11: What Transit Professionals Need to Know about Disaster Preparedness Ten Years Later. NYSDOT Public Transportation Bureau leaders also provided an informative panel presentation on funding, policy, compliance and safety.

NYPTA is a not-for-profit association representing transit agencies across the state, as well as over 100 private sector manufacturers, consultants and state government agencies. Members provide nearly all of the public transportation services in New York State and nearly 40 percent of the public transportation services in the nation, employing more than 60,000 New Yorkers.

Association and conference details can be found at www.nytransit.org.

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