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Don’t Miss the Bus: Successfully Using a FTA Low-No Grant

Published on March 1, 2024

Don’t Miss the Bus: Successfully Using a FTA Low-No Grant
The Department of Transportation is going all in on a zero-emission/low-emission future for mass transit. Hence, funding opportunities have been significantly expanded, like the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Low or No Emission Grant Program for buses and bus facilities. But FTA also acknowledges that the transition to low or no emission buses might be a … Continued

Situational Awareness Training: Preparing Drivers for Safe Zero-Emissions Bus Operations

Published on February 7, 2024

Situational Awareness Training: Preparing Drivers for Safe Zero-Emissions Bus Operations
Situational awareness has always been a core skill for transit Operators.  Operators spend their days making split-second decisions, all while sharing congested roads with other drivers of uncertain skill, vehicles with unknown maintenance records, and unpredictable weather conditions that can make operating a bus treacherous. Todd Cheever, Director of Safety and Training for NICE (Nassau … Continued

Explore Simulation for Transportation Research at the 103rd Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting (January 7-11, 2024, Washington, D.C., Booth #1024)

Published on January 3, 2024

Explore Simulation for Transportation Research at the 103rd Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting (January 7-11, 2024, Washington, D.C., Booth #1024)
Realtime Technologies (RTI)—FAAC’s research training and simulation division—is looking forward to discussing the latest in simulation software and hardware applications for transportation research at the 103rd TRB Annual Meeting (January 7–11, 2024, in Washington, D.C.). For more than a century, the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting has been the transportation field’s premier marketplace for new … Continued

Explore Passenger Interactions and De-Escalation with FAAC at the 2023 APTA TRANSform Conference & Expo (October 9-11, Orlando, FL, Booth #2711)

Published on September 18, 2023

Explore Passenger Interactions and De-Escalation with FAAC at the 2023 APTA TRANSform Conference & Expo (October 9-11, Orlando, FL, Booth #2711)
Every three years, APTA EXPO convenes the largest and longest-standing international trade show for the public transportation industry. Last held in 2021 amid pandemic delays, the conference was still eight thousand attendees strong. This year promises even more opportunities to learn and connect and is expected to be the largest EXPO since 2017. As ever, … Continued

Bus Operator Training for a Diverse Array of Fleet Vehicles

Published on July 12, 2023

Bus Operator Training for a Diverse Array of Fleet Vehicles
As we’ve discussed in the past, one key to the effectiveness of public transport simulation training is “presence“—i.e., the trainee’s convincing subjective experience of being in an actual vehicle. As Rob Raheb (an internationally published author and expert in simulation and driver training) has noted: “The more realistic the simulation is, the more ‘buy-in’ from … Continued

Transit Response and Training for Unpredictable Passenger Interactions

Published on June 13, 2023

Transit Response and Training for Unpredictable Passenger Interactions
Staff retention problems continue to grow for almost every transit agency in the United States and Canada. According to the latest report from the American Public Transportation Association, more than 90% of all agencies surveyed faced transit operator shortages. And 84% of those agencies reported that staffing shortages were preventing them from providing full service. … Continued

Top Three Ways to Get the Most Out of a Bus Simulator Training Program

Published on May 23, 2023

Top Three Ways to Get the Most Out of a Bus Simulator Training Program
Using immersive simulators for Bus Operator training has some obvious benefits, they allow you to: practice the mechanics of right and left-hand turns without the risks to safety or equipment, introduce foul-weather driving skills – even on a sunny day, practice situational awareness without endangering the public, review disablement and emergency procedures, and much more. … Continued

Three Training Tips to Ensure EV Bus Success

Published on April 20, 2023

Three Training Tips to Ensure EV Bus Success
Transit agencies are rightly concerned about deploying electric vehicles (EVs). According to Jason Francisco, Transportation Business Manager at FAAC Incorporated: “Everyone knows that an EV bus has a lot more torque than a conventional diesel bus, on top of a very different feel to the braking and deceleration. They know that creating a smooth and … Continued

Electric Bus Simulators with Integrated Assessment Tools Improve Transit Workforce Development

Published on March 14, 2023

Electric Bus Simulators with Integrated Assessment Tools Improve Transit Workforce Development
The federal government is going all-in on a battery-powered future for mass transit—but transit agencies themselves aren’t so sure. Last year Vice President Harris announced a collection of new federal initiatives to cut carbon emissions from buses and trucks. These initiatives include “$1.1 billion in new funding to help cities and states purchase electric buses … Continued

Using Simulation Training Technology to Embrace the “Safe System Approach”

Published on April 8, 2022

Using Simulation Training Technology to Embrace the “Safe System Approach”
U.S. traffic fatalities have climbed throughout the pandemic, despite 30 years of steady declines. Early this year the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that in just the first nine months of 2021 traffic fatalities increased 12%. That’s the largest such jump in fatalities since 1975. In total, 31,720 people died in traffic accidents … Continued
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