Mass Transit magazine features agency profiles, industry trends, management tips and new product information.
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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 | MassTransitmag.com | Mass Transit | 57 While Metro and BART expanded and continue to open new lines, MARTA is about half the size of either of them and struggling to find ways to try and catch up with its peers. Now, Rhonda Briggins-Ridley, senior director of external afairs for MARTA, said the system is the middle-aged woman in need of repairs while also needing an expanded network, which creates a unique situation in balancing capital needs and getting funding to meet those needs. "We're not as old as Chicago or New York or SEPTA or Boston, but we're not as young as your North Carolina, your Dallas, your Austin, Texas," she said. "We have to hold onto the past and also embrace the future." But in order to make sure MARTA gets the support it needs to maintain and grow the system, it needs to take steps to makes sure it happens without causing rifs with other agencies or politicians. Working together Being the biggest transit agency in Geor- gia, Briggins-Ridley said MARTA acts as a resource for the smaller agencies and when they work to address transit needs in a holistic way by tackling com- mon issues, such as "dumping" done by third-party service brokers who are con- tracted to provide services for seniors, but then pay a standard transit fare while being paid $18 per ride to provide that service in order to drive up a huge proft. Tese issues can be tackled without MARTA getting mired in funding battles with other state agencies because it's the only one funded by a sales tax instead of from a general fund, so there's no com- petition for funds, Briggins-Ridley said. "We still exchange best practices and more importantly, we always tell them that we're in this together," she said. Te evolution of the modern political landscape has forced a change in how to approach bills or tax policy for most en- tities and for some groups, they need to develop as their industry grows. Darren Engle, director of government relations for propane supplier Blue Star Gas, said the company and the alternative fuels lobby used to take a more defensive approach to legislation by opposing bills harming the industry, but not pushing legislation. Now his company takes a more holistic approach to pushing for alternative fuels in general as opposed to just propane as it had in the past. "Really this old way didn't help the cause, so we said let's fip this thing around," he said. "Let's start speaking to the legislators about all the alternative fuels and start educating them, to be a re- source to them, so when legislation came across their desk they would have a re- source to help keep them educated on why there isn't just one silver bullet in solving alternative fuel development." Working with other alternative fuel lobbyists to push for a greater cause with lawmakers yields more results, but it doesn't make things easier. Engle said it can be much harder to keep all the lobbies working on task than the actual lobbying itself, but the additional work has continued to build the industry for f leets across the nation. "I really believe lawmakers want to do the best they can, but they don't have MARTA is the middle-aged woman in need of repairs while also needing an expanded network, which creates a unique situation in balancing capital needs and getting funding to meet those needs. RHONDA BRIGGINS-RIDLEY, MARTA's senior director of external affairs. The company also took a more holistic approach to pushing for alternative fuels in general as opposed to just propane as it had in the past. DARREN ENGLE, director of government relations for Blue Star Gas, said it's important to avoid politically charged words when talking with lawmakers in order to avoid roadblocks brought on by political ideology. Jobs to Move America JOBS TO Move America campaign interns performing street theater at Los Angeles Union Station in June 2014, to enter a social media contest sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association.