Roundup: August Public Transit Chatter

August 23, 2018

There’s a lot going on in the transit industry. We want our riders to stay informed about the hustle and bustle of what’s going on just as much as we do. Here are some of the top stories for this month to stay updated on the latest mass transit trends!

 

Looks like Uber and Lyft are becoming public transit’s new best friend

For the last few months, we’ve been highlighting how ridesharing is becoming extremely significant in the public transit industry. Applications like Uber and Lyft are being utilized to be added as transit for riders if companies are playing their cards right. They know that riders are using the apps to go right along with their services, and creating new programs alongside the apps increases trust from their riders. A new study done by DePaul University only proves that the allure of the partnerships is great for business.

Ridesharing and transit has worked for us at DCTA. We have a partnership with Lyft in Highland Village that ensures that our riders get to their desired destinations by offering discounts for Lyft rides in the designated zone. In fact, we’re enhancing our program effective Monday, August 27, by expanding our program service hours to 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and offering a maximum discount of $10.00 per rider trip. Our Highland Village Lyft Discount program will replace our Community On-Demand program. Visit RideDCTA.net to learn more.

 

New Body Scanners at Transit Hubs may be a new thing

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority would become the first in the nation to implement new “body scanners” much like the luggage scanners you see at airports. The agency says riders wouldn’t have to fear the same security checks during their commute though. The scanners will used for a quick way to screen riders while they’re in route to their destination stops when commuting. The importance of it is to ward off any terroristic attacks or spotting persons with weapons on them before they board transit. The scanners could spread out past the state of California to other areas in the country.

Although we don’t have body scanners, DCTA makes sure that we ensure the safety of all riders. Our passengers can check out our rider code of conduct for reference. At DCTA, your safety is music to our ears. You can also check out our safety policies for a fun way to remind yourself of our rules. How would you guys feel if we had body scanners?

 

Transit agencies still making strong strides with Positive Train Control (PTC) installation and implementation

We’ve discussed positive train control (PTC) before and according to APTA, they’re still going strong and making strides for the future of public transit. For those who need a refresher, PTC is a new system being implemented across the board that gives trains on rails a faster break pull just in case the vehicle needs to make a sudden stop. This type of technology is essential for the future safety of riders and cargo when it comes to transit travel.  As of June 30, 2018, 34 percent of commuter railroads are in testing, revenue service demonstration, or are operating their trains with PTC. By December of 2020 it’s anticipated that all commuter rails must implement PTC.

At DCTA, we’re still conducting our PTC testing for our A-train vehicles. Commuter safety is our top priority. During testing, we will have service modifications so riders should plan their rides in advance. Our positive train control progress report is downloaded for riders and you can check out schedules online. We’re on track to go into revenue service demonstration (RSD) by December 31, 2018. We want to make sure that we have the safety technology for our vehicles on the rails for our riders.

 

Did you learn something new this month about public transit? Is there a story you would like for us to cover in the future? Tell us about it in the comment below!

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