Close to 250 transit professionals representing transit systems, Florida DOT central and district offices, consultants, and other organizations gathered in Tampa at the USF Embassy Suites on June 5-7, 2017 for the 2017 FPTA/FDOT/CUTR Professional Development Workshop & Transit Safety and Operations Summit. The workshop and summit were jointly sponsored by the Florida Public Transportation Association (FPTA), Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), and Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR). The workshop theme this year was “Training – the Key to Success.”
The fifth annual Florida Transit Safety and Operations Summit, hosted by the FDOT Florida Transit Safety and Operations Network (FTSON), started off the three days of professional development and attracted 119 transit professionals. The members of the FTSON were given an opportunity for an open discussions on topics such as bus operations, operator and passenger safety, bus collisions, distracted driving, fatigue, succession planning, and workforce development.
The Summit included a number of informative presentations on topics, including the implementation of new technologies that have the promise of improving the safe operation of the nation’s transit agencies. Representatives from Pierce Transit (Lakewood, Washington) and the Washington State Transit Insurance Pool (WSTIP) were on site to discuss their FTA funded Safety Research Demonstration Project that includes the deployment of Mobileye© Collision Avoidance Technology and DSC Technologies Automated Braking Systems. The Transportation Security Administration’s Orlando Surface Team presented on recent security incidents, trends, and best practices in security preparedness.
The 16th Professional Development Workshop offered a unique professional development opportunity for Florida’s public transportation supervisors, front-line employees, and other key staff in operations, maintenance, marketing, planning and administration. The one-stop workshop provided attendees with 22 different sessions that offered an excellent opportunity to learn from industry experts, attend professional development training, learn about research updates, and network with their peers. All of Florida’s transit networks (safety and operations, maintenance, marketing and planning) played active roles in developing and presenting timely workshop content.
On Tuesday, June 6 the 2017 graduates of the Florida Transit Operator Trainer Training Certificate Program, the Drug and Alcohol Testing Program Management Certificate Program, and the Certified Transit Technician (CTT) program were recognized and awarded their certificates.
