• Opening day featured remarks by Mitch Landrieu, Senior Advisor to the President and Infrastructure Coordinator, The White House; Polly Trottenberg, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation; Nuria Fernandez, Administrator, Federal Transit Administration; Mary Frances Repko, Deputy National Climate Advisor, The White House; as well as panel discussions with other key Administration staff, Capitol Hill staff, and policy experts.
  • Hundreds of public transportation industry officials will visit Capitol Hill to urge Congress to provide full investment for public transit and passenger rail in the FY 2024 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations bill.
  • At the conference, APTA also released results from Phase 2 of its Transit Workforce Shortage report, aimed at facilitating the exchange of creative solutions for recruiting, hiring, and retaining the public transportation industry workforce.

Washington, D.C. (March 13, 2023) – The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) today convened hundreds of public transportation industry professionals from across the country for the start of its 2023 Legislative Conference. Opening day featured remarks by Mitch Landrieu, Senior Advisor to the President and Infrastructure Coordinator, The White House; Polly Trottenberg, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation; Nuria Fernandez, Administrator, Federal Transit Administration; Mary Frances Repko, Deputy National Climate Advisor, The White House; as well as panel discussions with other key Administration staff, Capitol Hill staff, and policy experts.

The annual event also includes sessions with federal officials on top public policy issues affecting public transportation, including implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and discussions centered around creating jobs, advancing equity, and addressing climate change.

“APTA’s Legislative Conference is an opportunity for our members to hear directly from key Administration officials, members of Congress, and policy experts and to meet with members of Congress to build meaningful and productive relationships that support investment in our critical public transportation infrastructure,” said APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas. “Our industry is taking this time to ensure that the promise of the IIJA is realized and that public transit succeeds in keeping America’s social and economic recovery going through the full implementation of the IIJA.”

APTA today also released results from Phase 2 of its Transit Workforce Shortage report. Phase 1 was released in October 22 and focused on the macro causes of the worker shortage. Phase 2 combines information from a survey of current and former transit workers with information from interviews with 18 public transit agencies to provide insight into ways to address the national shortage of transit workers. The report also includes a toolkit for public transportation agencies to use in assessing and improving their workforce development processes to address the worker shortage.

The main findings from today’s release include:

  • Pay, work schedule, and agency responsiveness are key to retaining and attracting workers.
  • Agencies generally have a clear understanding of why they are struggling to hire or retain workers, and many are already taking proactive steps to close gaps and prepare for the future.
  • Agencies must work to accommodate the changing needs and preferences of the transit workforce. Agencies that have successfully recruited and retained workers have adapted their policies and practices to accommodate their employees’ responsibilities and priorities.

“The transit workforce shortage is among the most pressing issues facing our industry,” said Skoutelas. “The agencies who participated in this study are demonstrating creativity and resilience in addressing their workforce needs. APTA hopes that this document will contribute to the exchange of ideas between agencies and encourage them to find new and innovative ways to maintain the workforce needed to provide essential transportation services to communities across the nation.”

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