APTA Events in St. Louis Feature an Agenda for Innovation

Innovation, technology, fare policy, transit operations planning, scheduling, sustainability, and resilience are highlighted themes at the co-located APTAtech and Sustainability / Operations Planning & Scheduling Workshop, Aug. 9-12 in St. Louis, MO. The venue for these events is the historic St Louis Union Station, converted elegantly into a Doubletree hotel.

Focusing on innovation in the current context and environment, discussions will cover such topics as service planning for special events, including the NFL draft and World Cup; fairs and community festivals; route restructuring; energy efficiency; account-based fare collection; open payment systems; current applications of AI; and ideas on how to assure that AVs are integrated into the transit network, rather than operating alongside it as a separate system.

In the Joint Opening General Session, executive leadership of host agency St. Louis Metro will describe how innovation, system modernization, and strategic investment have transformed the rider experience in the St. Louis region. Attendees will hear how initiatives such as the Secure Platform Plan, fare collection modernization, and BRT are shaping the future. The discussion will highlight the vision for these projects, and their real-world impact.

Big picture ideas and leadership voices will be brought to the spotlight in an Aug. 11 Joint Executive Roundtable titled “Positioning Transit Amid Evolving Trends.” This General Session will feature a discussion of trends affecting transit organizations and offer C-Suite perspectives on ways successful -public transit agencies blend their various areas of expertise on their way to finding solutions.

As host, St. Louis Metro is -offering a number of tours to showcase its -system and the variety of ways it serves the region and makes it stronger. Tours will cover MetroLink light rail, MetroBus, Amtrak, the Loop Trolley, transit-oriented development at the Cortex Innovation Community, and -streetcar-supported business districts in the Delmar Loop.

Tour options also include battery electric bus garage and charging infrastructure, a rail trail biking tour, and a guided walking tour of the Mississippi Greenway at the Gateway Arch National Park grounds. A behind-the-scenes sustainability tour of Energizer Park Stadium will share the sustainability story behind the stadium, demonstrating how thoughtful design, native landscaping, innovative technology, and responsible operations help the venue divert more than 80 percent of its waste away from landfills.

Four tracks of educational sessions are centered on the major themes of sustainability, planning and scheduling, research, and fare collection. Interactive programs include the APTAtech Innovation Challenge, tabletop discussions, transit trivia quiz, poster sessions, evening receptions, and a Product and Services Showcase.

The overall programming for these events represents the joint efforts of APTA’s Research and Technology Committee, Fare Collection Systems Committee, Sustainability Committee, and Transit Operations Planning and Scheduling Committee.