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William Millar, President, American Public Transportation Association

Related Link: http://www.apta.com

Biography provided by participant

William Millar is the president of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). Since coming to APTA in 1996 Bill has sought to expand APTA's reach and effectiveness, guiding it to legislative victories and dramatically increasing federal investment in public transportation.

Prior to APTA, Bill served 19 years at the Port Authority of Allegheny County, the principal transit operator serving Pittsburgh, PA. As its executive director from 1983-1996, he oversaw the development and operation of bus, busway, light rail, paratransit and inclined plane service. In 1987 he received APTA's Jesse Haugh Award for Transit Manager of the Year. He is the founder of Pittsburgh's award-winning ACCESS paratransit service.

From 1973-77, Bill worked for the Pennsylvania DOT where he developed and managed Pennsylvania's Free Transit Program for Senior Citizens and led the Penn DOT's rural public and community transit efforts. He began his career as the county transportation planner in Lancaster, PA.

Millar is a strong supporter of transportation research and is the recipient of the Founding Father Award for his leadership in establishing the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP). He has been a member of the executive committee of the Transportation Research Board for many years and served as its chair in 1992. He also serves on advisory committees of several university transportation research institutes.

A well-known expert in the field of public transportation and transportation policy, he is a frequent speaker and lecturer at conferences and seminars. He has published numerous articles and has testified frequently before the U.S. Congress and in other public forums.

Millar is the recipient of many awards, including the Transportation Research Board's W. N. Carey, Jr. Distinguished Service Award (1999); Pattison Partnership Award from the Intermodal Passenger Institute (2001); and Railway Age's Graham Claytor Award (2006).

Bill has a BA from Northwestern University and an MA from the University of Iowa majoring in urban transportation planning and policy analysis. He lives in Falls Church, VA with his wife and two children and commutes to work on Washington's Metrorail.

Recent Responses

August 5, 2009 05:54 PM

RE: Does Greener Transportation Mean Less Green For The Highway Trust Fund?

I am responding to Mr. Roth’s query regarding the statistic I cited which states that “transportation accounts for 28% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.”   This figure is accurate and is a widely known fact from data from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Energy Information Administration. Mr. Roth and the report he cites are confusing GHG which exist in the natural environment including water vapor with GHG “emissions” as measured by EPA and caused by human activity. GHG emissions emanating from the use of our surface transportation system and other human activity are categorized as “anthropogenic.” These anthropogenic emissions create an imbalance…  Read more

August 3, 2009 06:41 AM

RE: Does Greener Transportation Mean Less Green For The Highway Trust Fund?

I believe we can meet our transportation investment needs and solve the most pressing environmental challenge of this century. Climate change is one of the most critical issues facing our country. Transportation accounts for 28% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the U.S. and represents the fastest growing source of emissions in our economy. In my opinion, the transportation industry has no choice but to address the climate change issue head on. We should not hide behind the fear of a decline in gas tax revenue as an excuse to not take action. That said, our funding situation in the…  Read more

June 1, 2009 07:54 AM

RE: Time For Feds To Fund Mass Transit Operating Expenses?

This week’s question is one that is timely and under much discussion in the public transportation industry. This is a time of great opportunities and great challenges for America’s public transit systems. Last year 10.7 billion trips were taken on public transit – the most in 52 years – and a modern ridership record. Since 1995, public transportation use has grown by 38%, a figure that is almost triple the growth rate of the population (14 percent) and up substantially over the growth rate for the vehicle miles traveled (VMT) on our nation’s highways (21 percent) for that same period.…  Read more

May 28, 2009 03:28 PM

RE: Do New Demographics Require New Approaches?

  Among the many challenges that public transportation has the ability to help solve – including issues with the economy, the environment, and energy independence – giving older Americans a viable and reliable method for staying mobile is at the forefront. By the year 2030, the number of Americans age 65 and older is expected to double to more than 70 million. Expanding transportation options for seniors and increasing funding for public transit targeted toward seniors’ needs ranked the third most important issue at the last White House Conference on Aging; it ranked above issues pertaining to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Clearly,…  Read more
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