Federal Transit Administration

Public transportation is essential to every segment of American society, connecting thousands of communities nationwide. In the Pacific Northwest, transit riders take more than 150 million rides every year in Seattle, Portland and Vancouver alone, with ridership continuing to increase throughout the region. Did you know, since 2020, Sound Transit has seen its ridership more than double, Kitsap Transit’s numbers have risen by 40%, and in Seattle, ridership across several transit systems has surged more than six-fold? In 2022 alone, Portland’s TriMet and Seattle’s Sound Transit and King County Metro Transit provided more than 148 million trips on buses and rail, averaging more than 360,000 trips every weekday. Furthering this trend, 3 new transit lines begin service in the PNW region this week: TriMet’s MAX Red Line extension, Seattle Department of Transportation’s Madison Street BRT & Sound Transit’s highly anticipated Lynnwood Link extension. FTA leaders are excited to visit the PNW this week to help cut the ribbons and get people on their way more quickly and sustainably. 

#TakeTransit in Portland! This morning, FTA Acting Administrator Veronica Vanterpool, FTA Regional Administrator Susan Fletcher and TriMet GM Sam Desue, Jr. dodged traffic and rode MAX light rail to TriMet's A Better Red ribbon-cutting. #ftaonbrand

Today, FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez was recognized at the Zero Emission Bus Conference in Philadelphia for her commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transit industry. During her tenure, Administrator Fernandez led the FTA through enormous change as the agency created new clean-energy initiatives and expanded Low- and No-Emission bus grants. Today, Low-No has 10x more funding compared to previous levels. We thank the Center for Transportation and the Environment for honoring a visionary leader!

More than 400,000 students have enrolled in Los Angeles Metro’s GoPass program, which offers unlimited fare-free rides to K-12 and community college students on local buses and trains. Since 2021, the program has provided over 40 million free trips. Students at 1,600+ K-12 schools and community colleges in 125 school districts are eligible to participate. The GoPass also works on Antelope Valley Transit Authority, Foothill Transit and Culver CityBus, making it easy for students to get #backtoschool and setting the stage for lifetime transit riders. tinyurl.com/bdma87yj

FTA is hiring! Join our team at the federal agency that supports public transportation for America’s communities. Open positions include chief data officer (statistics), associate administrator for research, demonstration, and innovation, program analyst and economist, all based in Washington, DC and Cambridge, MA. bit.ly/FTAjobs

Looking for a cheaper way to get to class? Good news! This fall, college students heading #backtoschool aboard NJ TRANSIT can save up to 60% on transportation to over 70 campuses with NJT’s special Student Pass offer.

San Bernardino County Transportation Authority recently unveiled one of the nation’s first zero-emission passenger trains, an exciting development for the Southern California transit agency and the future of clean-energy transportation in the U.S. The train will serve the 9-mile Arrow Line, which connects downtown San Bernardino to the University of Redlands on the city’s eastern side. Passengers can expect to ride the clean-energy train early next year! tinyurl.com/3ymaunsn

Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority in St. Petersburg, FL recently broke ground on a new station for its SunRunner bus rapid transit line. The new station, expected to open by the end of the year, will connect the SunRunner to the city’s waterfront, allowing residents and visitors to #TakeTransit to St. Pete Pier. 3 new SunRunner buses will join PSTA’s fleet, cutting service times by half! tinyurl.com/mvzwrjyd

Cities Area Transit in Grand Forks, ND, recently celebrated the reopening of its newly renovated transit facility, which was funded in part by FTA. The new facility features an upgraded wash bay, solar panels, training space and indoor vehicle storage – essential for North Dakota winters! The facility also has space for travel training through North Dakota Vision Services & the School for the Blind to help individuals with visual impairments learn to navigate the bus system.

FTA is hiring! Join our team at the federal agency that supports public transportation for America’s communities. Open positions include chief data officer, Washington DC; associate administrator for Research, Demonstration and Innovation, Washington, DC; and community planner, Kansas City, MO. bit.ly/FTAjobs