PEI Public Transit Coalition E-News #2

1. Local
1.1 Michael Roschlau to speak at PTC meeting
1.2 Charlottetown Transit begins Friday
1.3 UPEI bicycle bursary application now online
2. National
2.1 Federal budget submission calls for permanent transit investment
2.2 Soaring gas prices boost public transit
3. International
3.1 Signing By President Bush Of New Transportation Bill



1.1 Michael Roschlau to speak at PTC meeting

The PEI Public Transit Coalition will be hosting a meeting open to the
public on Friday, September 30 at 12 noon, in the Coles Building.
Michael W. Roschlau, President and Chief Executive Officer of the
Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA), will be the guest speaker.
CUTA represents providers of urban transit services, suppliers to the
industry, government, individuals and related organizations in Canada.

Michael has been with CUTA for over 19 years and, before being appointed
to his current position, was responsible for a variety of association
services such as education and training, major conferences and trade
events. He holds a Ph.D in transportation geography from the Australian
National University. In addition to his role as President of CUTA,
Michael serves on the Board of Directors of the Centre for Sustainable
Transportation and the Ontario Community Transportation Association, and
is co-chair of the Canadian Motor Carrier Passenger Council.

The theme of his presentation is the economic, social and environmental
benefits of establishing a PEI public transit system. As Charlottetown
prepares to launch a new public transit system for October, this is an
excellent opportunity for the public to meet Michael
and learn about CUTA, and to get involved with the PEI Public Transit
Coalition.

1.2 Charlottetown Transit begins Friday

The PTC has been informed by TRIUS co-owner Mike Cassidy that the new
Charlottetown Transit buses will start running the first route on
Friday. The intention is to "soft open" each route with downtown to
Winsloe being the first. The routes will be gradually introduced over
the next few weeks, and the full system will be in operatioon by Oct 19.
During this time, they will focus on educating the public and
attracting ridership. Initial service will be offered from Monday to
Saturday, 6:30am to 7:00pm. Fare is $2 per ride. The PTC encourages
everyone to try out the new system and show support as it grows.

1.3 UPEI bicycle bursary application

You can find the upei bicycle bursary application online at:
http://www.upei.ca/environment/UPEI_bike_bursary_appl_30_8_05.pdf

2.1 Federal budget submission calls for permanent transit investment

In its submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance,
as part of this year's pre-budget consultations, CUTA is
calling for two specific actions beyond the investments contained in the
2005-2006 federal budget. CUTA has prepared a new submission,
with recommendations consisting of (a) making the current level of
public transit infrastructure investments permanent in order to allow
transit systems across the country to carry out the necessary
comprehensive and long-term planning for renewal and expansion; and
(b) amending the Income Tax Act to eliminate the inequity between
employment benefits for drivers and transit users, thereby making
employer-provided transit benefits income tax-exempt. The first of these
recommendations is intended to extend the additional $400-
million per year in funding from the federal gasoline tax included in
the 2005 budget amendment beyond its two-year time frame on an
indefinite basis. The content of this submission will be formally
presented to the Finance Committee during its hearings in Ottawa later
this year.

www.cutaactu.on.ca


2.2 Soaring gas prices boost public transit

The recent spike in pump prices appears to be driving thousands of
cost-cutting Calgarians to use public transit, says a city spokesman.
Ron Collins, Calgary Transit's communications co-ordinator, said
yesterday that July posted an increase of about 170,000 users of
C-Trains and buses over this time last year. "It's a significant
increase," he said. "It is difficult to measure how many are coming
because of spiking gas prices, but we feel that is why some are coming
our way." The Canadian Automobile Association claims it costs about
$9,000 a year to own, operate and maintain a car, while it costs just
under $1,000 to be a regular transit user in this city. "When you look
at $70 a month for an adult transit pass and at how much it is to fill
up the gas tank on a private car ... it's sure good bang for your buck,"
Collins said. Collins said LRT use doubled in the past 10 years while
overall public transportation ridership is up by about 50%.

About 230,000 Calgarians use the C-Train on any given weekday. But
despite the recent jump in oil prices, Collins said transit hasn't
looked at the issue of escalating fuel costs yet. He says it is a
non-issue for the C-Train which is a wind-generated system, and the city
has pre-purchased its fuel requirements for its diesel-run buses for the
remainder of the year. On the heels of hurricane Katrina, Calgarians
have been paying record high pump prices which have hit more than $1 per
litre. City officials have said the jump in fuel prices and the added
cost it poses to run municipal fleets will eventually translate into a
cost for taxpayers, by as early as January.

Calgary Sun


3.1 Signing By President Bush Of New Transportation Bill Will Make A
Difference For All Americans

"President Bush's signing of the transportation bill, SAFETEA-LU, is an
historic moment that will make a positive difference for all Americans,"
said William W. Millar, president of the American Public Transportation
Association (APTA), who is attending the signing ceremony in Aurora,
Illinois today. "Public demand for transit is on the rise and this new
multi-year federal legislation will give a much needed boost to meet the
needs of a growing public transportation system," said Millar. "Last
year there were 9.6 billion trips on public transportation and since
1995 public transportation use has grown by 23 percent." SAFETEA-LU was
approved by Congress on July 29. The $286.4 billion transportation bill
includes $52.6 billion in guaranteed funding for public transportation
for six years, through Fiscal Year 2009.

"This significant increase in transit investment by the federal
government is a recognition of the importance of public transportation
to our communities, whether urban, suburban or rural," said Millar.
"APTA is also pleased that Congress and President Bush guaranteed the
transit money," added Millar. "This means that transit agencies across
the country will be able to make long-term transportation plans and
better serve their riders and communities." "With the signing of this
very important bill we move forward into the 21st century with funding
to maintain our existing infrastructure and develop new transit projects
that are important to relieve congestion, improve mobility for all
Americans, and strengthen our economy," said Millar.

publictransportation.org



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