During the global pandemic, transit systems in Europe and Asia were forced to respond more quickly to an aggressive rise in COVID cases, as well as adapt faster to an opening of economies as countries recovered. Learn from leaders of some of the most widely used systems in the world on how they have rapidly adapted to operating during a pandemic, the lessons they have learned and how they have reimagined their service to ensure safety and service for both passengers and employees.

Human trafficking—or modern-day slavery—is a global problem in which persons are illegally bought and sold for forced labor or commercial sex. Through the use of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, or the abuse of power, traffickers prey upon their victims’ vulnerabilities—such as their youth, condition of poverty, migration status, or dreams of love and opportunity—while profiting from their exploitation. There are an estimated 40 million victims of human trafficking globally, including thousands of children and adults in the U.S. and Canada. Human trafficking has been reported in all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. 

This session will highlight FTA’s Human Trafficking Awareness and Public Safety Initiative, which supports the USDOT’s Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking initiative. Additionally, a transit leader will discuss the actions their agency is taking to combat human trafficking by issuing leadership statements, signing pledges, developing reporting protocols, training their employees, and conducting public awareness campaigns.

Challenging times spark expansive thinking about public transportation and ways it can be funded. Several funding and financing opportunities have emerged, which are complementing new, creative applications of traditional sources. The panel discussion will shine a light on new ideas that can apply to public transit agencies of all sizes.

We have heard the word “essential” a lot this year. The COVID-19 pandemic has shined a light on just how essential public transit really is for all communities. Whether transporting essential workers, partnering with food banks to deliver essential goods, or making countless service changes, the transit industry has kept the economy moving and people served. As we implement recovery plans for transit service, how do we ensure we do so from a perspective of social equity and racial justice? Join this session to hear how several agencies have implemented an equity framework in their recovery plans, and the impact to date.

PLANNING CEUs: .75

The current pandemic has underscored the need for a transportation network that is resilient and has a balance of travel options that will keep America’s economic regions connected and thriving. Leaders of two of high-speed rail projects will talk about how their projects will serve as critical additions to the national network.

Transportation industry workers in general have risk for exposure to traumatic incidents in the workplace. A number of those exposed to such incidents may develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, which can lead to higher rates of absenteeism and may be costly to the public transit agencies and workplace safety compensation insurance. Even more important is the impact of PTSD to the transit employee personally. The pandemic poses a new set of challenges to transit. There are media stories about transportation service workers exposed to the virus, falling ill, or dying. The mental health implications of the stress of exposure, illness, and potential death have not been widely covered. Neither has the relationship between employee mental health and the sustainability of transit systems and the impact of these issues on the recruitment and retention of employees.

This session will highlight best practices for supporting the mental health, wellness, and resilience of transit workers. Additionally, a transit leader will discuss the actions his/her agency is taking to support the mental health of employees.

Procurement professionals will discuss how their transit agencies met, and will continue to meet quickly and reliably, the supply and services needs of their agencies in a current and post-COVID-19 world. Suppliers will discuss ways that they are working with transit agencies to overcome supply chain challenges and outline how taking procurement electronic was a critical step in making procurement activities future-ready.

PROCUREMENT CEUs: .75 

As the COVID-19 pandemic forced transit agencies and organizations to change the way they operate, workforce training also had to change. During this session we will discuss how public and private organizations have taken their training virtual to ensure that both frontline and administrative staff still complete required training courses and have the opportunity for personal development. Learn about some of the challenges they have faced and how they are creating innovative solutions to keep employees engaged.

Transit agencies have had to adapt quickly to procuring goods and services remotely. This session will cover innovation and best practices from small, medium, and large transit agencies regarding how they revamped their procurement processes. Many of these agencies have experienced lower costs, greater efficiency, and improved relationships with both suppliers and internal customers.

PROCUREMENT CEUs: .75

Paratransit operators have a unique role in the transit industry as they provide transportation to those who may have no other options. Transit systems are working hard to stop the spread of COVID-19 and also continue serving their customers. Paratransit operations are facing a particularly challenging environment. Hear from transit systems with robust response plans post COVID-19 to address concerns, while still providing this valuable service to vulnerable communities. This session will outline steps that you can use for the safety of your employees and customers as we move to recovery and restoration.

Attend this important session to hear about bus shields and protective barriers and how they have safeguarded operators against operator assaults as well as viral outbreaks. The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) will speak about two tragic cases of operator assaults that occurred on their system in 2019 and how the agency responded. HART will also discuss bus shields that were implemented on the system post-assaults, as well as what is being currently done at the agency during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation (IndyGo) will talk about what the agency implemented for temporary bus barriers/shielding in the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what it has applied as more permanent measures. Further, IndyGo will address some of the measures it is implementing to control the spread of the Coronavirus, including thermal temperature screenings and the use of UV light to disinfect buses.

We know that public confidence will be critical to bringing back ridership to transit. Vehicle and facility maintenance will be a central foundation for this, putting new demands on bus maintenance departments. This panel will review the plans and practices of leading bus agencies to meet rigorous standards for cleaning and disinfecting while continuing all other required bus maintenance - and, critically, while keeping maintenance workers safe.

APTA advocates for new mobility with public transit as its backbone. So how is transit being prioritized in the rapidly evolving world of Mobility-as-a- Service (MaaS)? Components of MaaS -- agency assessment, governance structure, and marketing to all -- coalesce to shape how a transit agency will operate as a mobility authority and connect to all modes of the mobility ecosystem. Agencies must consider what to do when partnering with third-party planning & payment platforms, subsidizing vs. operating, and finances and payment processing. This session is designed for attendees to share their thoughts, challenge each other, and come together to envision a more connected mobility future with transit as the backbone.

NOTE: You are invited to join us Thursday afternoon at 2:15 p.m for a tabletop discussion on Advancing MaaS.

PLANNING CEUs: .75

BRT systems deliver a high-quality rapid transit experience for riders. Speed, reliability, ease of use, aesthetics – all these lead to a premium transit service. But BRT requires comprehensive planning of various elements to achieve that level of service: the service design & operations, running ways, stations, and branding & marketing. Join us to hear about APTA’s program to update its BRT recommended practices covering all these elements. You will hear about how these recommended practices can provide guidance to anyone that is planning, designing, building, or operating BRT systems.

FTA created the Mobility on Demand (MOD) program to promote integrated, autonomous, multimodal, connected, and accessible transit systems with personalized mobility as a central focus. In this session, representative from three transit agencies will focus on the accessibility components of their MOD grants and the progress they've made thus far.

Attendees will be invited to a special follow-up National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM) Peer Exchange focusing on accessibility and the Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility (CCAM) in early September.

PLANNING CEUs: .75

When the COVID-19 crisis hit, transit agencies moved swiftly and decisively to adapt bus operations in the new environment. That response meant significantly changing operations to meet the needs of essential riders and to keep passengers and operators safe. Transit agencies are now ramping back up to “normal,” presenting an opportunity to rethink what that “normal” might look like. What changes to bus service should you be thinking about - not only to ensure safety against COVID but also to better serve transit riders. Join us for an engaging debate about what might change in bus operations to ensure that bus transit is able to meet the transportation needs of the coming decades.

Session presented by Hallcon Corporation 

Join us for an informative session where we hear examples of both how to execute and plan major capital projects. We will learn from WSP about the Waterloo Light Rail Project in Ontario, Canada – the first rail project delivered under a P3 contract structure in the region. We will also hear from LA Metro on their Capital Program Management best practices, from selecting the optimal delivery method to risk adjusted budgets and schedules. Both share a common theme – what each organization has done to ensure success.

NOTE: You are invited to join us Thursday afternoon at 2:15 p.m for a tabletop discussion on Major Capital Investments. 

PLANNING CEUs: .75

Transit agencies making the transition to a zero emission bus fleet have a host of elements to consider including infrastructure costs, fuel costs, route planning, operational conditions, facility upgrades and training. In this session you will hear from two agencies – one that is deploying fuel cell electric buses and one that is pursuing the battery electric bus pathway. Each agency will talk about their program, why they chose the technology pathway they did, and their strategies for deploying their chosen technology, lessons learned to date, and success stories. NOTE: You are invited to join the speakers on Thursday afternoon at 2:15 p.m for a tabletop discussion where you can ask your questions about how these technologies would fit into your service. Session Sponsored by Proterra Inc.

Public transit agencies are facing unprecedented challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many have made changes to their vehicles, processes, and operations to ensure passenger and employee safety. This session will discuss how good engineering practices have led to some quick and effective solutions to combat the issues posed by COVID-19.

ENGINEERING CEUs: .75

Session presented by HDR

Join us for this interesting and informative session to learn about how agencies have implemented the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) requirement. Hear from the FTA regarding recent safety initiatives, grants, and technical assistance. Also learn how enforcement of the final PTASP rule has been delayed to December 31, 2020 due to transit agency COVID-19 response efforts (A letter was submitted to FTA’s Emergency Relief docket by APTA requesting this in April, 2020). In addition, hear from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and how they’ve finalized their PTASP and utilized the FTA’s PTASP Technical Assistance Center (PTASP-TAC) to do so. VTA also will share how the agency worked with its board of directors to sign off on the PTASP during this uncertain period of COVID-19.

Agencies have faced unprecedented challenges in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public transit has taken on a critical role in containing pandemic spread – providing a necessary transportation lifeline to essential workers and first responders, while ensuring the safety of not only our ridership, but employees as well. How will what we face today help us better prepare for future outbreaks? Listen in to find out how some agencies faced these challenges, and what long term changes they foresee in our newly altered landscape.

A well-maintained transit infrastructure can help ensure our ridership enjoys a safe and reliable ride. Join us as we hear how agencies are staying focused on asset management and preservation. We’ll hear about industry best practices, and how agencies tackle common challenges to keep their systems in a state of good repair. PLANNING CEUs: .75

Public transportation ridership has been decimated, with many rail systems down by 95%. Agencies are creatively attracting riders back using various campaigns, statistical information, and other smart strategies. This session will cover some of these innovative strategies being employed that are helping spur ridership back to rail systems, when the public is ready.

ENGINEERING CEUs: .75

The session provides attendees with a brief background on the National Environmental Policy Act ( NEPA ) and the recent changes to NEPA in a final rule issued by the Council on Environmental Quality ( CEQ) in July 2020. Speakers will discuss implementation of the final rule and highlight the most relevant provisions for transit.In addition, hear how MBTA has established a process for tracking environmental planning and permitting items for their agency through a check list process.

PLANNING CEUs: .75