September/October 2023 - 28

FTA Waiver
criteria. Ramsey said vehicles are not
available for delivery, which takes care
of the second criterion, and HIRTA
determined the price of the project
would increase 33 percent by using
domestic products, which exceeds the
25 percent threshold. When describing
the reasons for meeting the " inconsistent
with public interest " component,
Ramsey did not sugarcoat the potential
predicament HIRTA and other small
agencies could face.
" If we can't get vehicles delivered,
at some point, there will be a service
disruption because of a long repair or
we can't get parts and then we're going
to have to decide who we can't take, "
said Ramsey. " Is it the cancer patient?
Someone who needs dialysis? A group of
people going to work or school children
who can't get to school? We provide rural
transportation. There isn't another
option for people. "
Partnering on a solution
With the waiver submitted, the consortium
and its supporters wait to see
if their efforts are successful. Throughout
both the RFP writing process and
waiver application process, both Castillo
and Ramsey recognize the support
and work of their partners in carrying
both endeavors through.
" We didn't do this alone. We brought
in partners we knew would be helpful, "
said Castillo.
These partners included elected officials,
the FTA Region 7 office, as well as
various transit associations and a consultant
to shared expertise for the RFP.
A successful waiver would benefit
smaller systems in several ways: Incorporating
these vehicles into U.S. fleets will
allow transit systems to meet climate objectives
and requirements, improve competition,
alleviate the strain on the supply
chain and provide the service capabilities
needed by the transit riding public.
" We hope in this temporary situation;
that the vehicle that was selected
through our RFP will become Buy
America compliant. In the meantime,
we have an emergency that we need to
solve, " said Ramsey. " This isn't just an
Iowa issue. This is a national issue that
we need to have some type of resolution
for and, hopefully, we've done that. "
For more information, visit www.MassTransitmag.com/10065314
28 Mass Transit | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2023
2310MASS_Wabec Bus Solutions.indd 1
6/8/23 9:44 AM

http://wabteccorp.com/transit-bus http://www.MassTransitmag.com/10065314

September/October 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September/October 2023

Editor’s Notebook
People & Places
MCTS’ CONNECT 1 BRT Bringing Public Transportation Usage Up in Milwaukee Area
Transit Agency Consortium Applies for FTA Waiver for Minibuses
APTA Awards BART the 2023 APTA Rail Safety Gold Award
APTA’s Big Show Returns to Orlando
Improve Fare Revenues and the Passenger Experience by Upgrading to a Future- Proofed Ticketing Infrastructure
Industry Insights: The Intersection of Diverse Leadership
Products
September/October 2023 - 1
September/October 2023 - 2
September/October 2023 - 3
September/October 2023 - 4
September/October 2023 - 5
September/October 2023 - Editor’s Notebook
September/October 2023 - 7
September/October 2023 - 8
September/October 2023 - 9
September/October 2023 - People & Places
September/October 2023 - 11
September/October 2023 - 12
September/October 2023 - 13
September/October 2023 - 14
September/October 2023 - 15
September/October 2023 - 16
September/October 2023 - 17
September/October 2023 - MCTS’ CONNECT 1 BRT Bringing Public Transportation Usage Up in Milwaukee Area
September/October 2023 - 19
September/October 2023 - 20
September/October 2023 - 21
September/October 2023 - 22
September/October 2023 - 23
September/October 2023 - Transit Agency Consortium Applies for FTA Waiver for Minibuses
September/October 2023 - 25
September/October 2023 - 26
September/October 2023 - 27
September/October 2023 - 28
September/October 2023 - 29
September/October 2023 - APTA Awards BART the 2023 APTA Rail Safety Gold Award
September/October 2023 - 31
September/October 2023 - 32
September/October 2023 - 33
September/October 2023 - APTA’s Big Show Returns to Orlando
September/October 2023 - 35
September/October 2023 - 36
September/October 2023 - 37
September/October 2023 - 38
September/October 2023 - 39
September/October 2023 - 40
September/October 2023 - 41
September/October 2023 - Improve Fare Revenues and the Passenger Experience by Upgrading to a Future- Proofed Ticketing Infrastructure
September/October 2023 - 43
September/October 2023 - 44
September/October 2023 - 45
September/October 2023 - Industry Insights: The Intersection of Diverse Leadership
September/October 2023 - 47
September/October 2023 - 48
September/October 2023 - 49
September/October 2023 - Products
September/October 2023 - 51
September/October 2023 - 52
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https://www.nxtbook.com/endeavor/masstransit/december-2021-january-2022
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