Meanwhile TEA3 reauthorization is at near stalemate, with President Bush threatening to veto any bill whose funding exceeds his proposal (aka SAFETEA). There are whispers that the administration might be willing to go a bit higher but still far short of what many Congresspersons want. There is even talk of passing a two year bill, with the hope that the economic climate in 24 months will a be more conducive to a boost in funding levels (plus leapfrog the election).

The new MTA day pass is proving popular, with about 50,000 being sold each weekday. January, the first month for the new fare media, MTA experienced an increase in fare box collections of about $1 million.

Remember MTA promised any surplus produced by the strike would be used to benefit the passengers? Per a report to the Feb. 19 MTA Board Executive Management and Audit Committee meeting (item #9) the $7.4 million surplus is bring set aside while the financial impacts of the recent Special Master ruling are determined. Staff state "If any strike-related savings remain" that at a later date a list of possible customer-enhancement programs will be presented for consideration. Does that mean they may use some or all of the surplus to pay consent-decree related costs?

MTA bus procurement update--the 45 foot compo-buses from NABI should start arriving in May; the "pilot" of the order of NABI 60 foot low-floor CNG articulated buses is currently being manufactured with the first 30 due for delivery by June 2005. (Feb. 19 MTA Operations Committee meeting,
agenda item #25).

MTA Deputy CEO John Catoe in his report to the Feb. Operations Committee meeting (agenda item #23) announced the tagger TRIBAL was arrested Feb. 12 and that "Evidence recovered from the subject's room will assist in solving 70+ vandalism cases".

Saints preserve us! MTA is embarking on an update to its Long Range Transportation Plan. I have acted as SO.CA.TA's representative sitting on stakeholder input groups for the last 2 1/2 LRTPs. I may write a letter to the Chair of MTA's Planning and Programming Committee outlining my "lessons learned" (to use MTA speak).

Mere months after a less than amicable parting of the ways with AVTA Bud Budlong has turned up in Tucson as the new Assistant General Manager at Suntran. Talk about landing on your feet!

The proposed ASI Foundation has hit a snag--disability activists have pushed to have it be autonomous of ASI despite ASI's Board providing the seed funding (thus far $25,000) to help launch the Foundation. Another $50,000 is to be spent on a consultant. Plus anticipated annual $100,000+ administrative costs. Meanwhile it may be 2-3 years will elapse before the Foundation begins to generate an income. No wonder ASI General Counsel James Jones supports some level of control of the Foundation by ASI's Board, noting an autonomous relationship could run afoul of laws prohibiting gifts of public funds.

Mr. Jones also in his analysis notes ASI itself is a tax-exempt organization that can receive tax-deductible donatioons directly. So why all the cost and bother of creating a separated Foundation for fund-raising? Jones notes simply the Paratransit Plan adopted by the ASI Board mandated creating the Foundation. A Plan that Jones describes as having "terms and provisions vetted [by] members of the disability community who provided detailed input." Could this have been an attempt by some to create a fiefdom, with ASI footing the bill?

Remember Operation Jumpstart, the Southern California Association of Government's ambitious initiative to jumpstart the local economy with big ticket transportation projects with mostly private financing? [http://www.scag.ca.gov/jumpstart/] Local politicos have pressured SCAG to decouple Jumpstart from the draft Regional Transportation Plan. I guess while trying to be diplomatic the officials are treating Jumpstart like a Ralph Kramden style scheme that eventually will fizzle...

SCAG is still wandering around with a tin cup seeking matching funds for its federal maglev grants. Sadly the L.A. City Council Transportation Committee ignored their staff's recommendation and voted to support giving SCAGLEV $300,000! Meanwhile the March issue of Wheel Clicks, newsletter of the Pacific Railroad Society, reports technical issues delayed the opening of the $1 billion German-built 19 mile Shanghai maglev line. And China has firmly said no to any other maglev lines.

Francine Oschin, longtime aide to former L.A. Councilman Hal Bernson, has started Oschin Partners--a transportation and government affairs consulting firm. Francine always impressed me as one of the few transportation deputies to have true savvy. I bet when the word spreads that she has now put out a shingle that prospective clients will start lining up.

I'll conclude by noting it turns out a news item in a past column about the demise of the Committee for Better Transit was premature. It is good to know CBT continues its 40+ years of working on behalf of transit users in Gotham and environs.