Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

Fewer Truckers Will Cost Consumers: Cameron on Transportation

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As if crumbling bridges and pot-holed highways weren’t enough to worry about, America’s transportation network now faces a new crisis: a shortage of truck drivers. According to the American Trucking Association, trucks carry more than 70 percent of all domestic freight, bringing in $719 billion in revenue. It’s trucks, not trains, that deliver our Amazon purchases and fill the shelves of our favorite big box stores for the holidays. So while we hate to drive behind them on our highways, we love what trucks deliver. The half-million remaining truck drivers in the U.S. are continuing to dwindle as more people retire and their positions are unfilled.

Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

How Uber and Lyft Are Disrupting the Taxi Industry in CT and NYC: Cameron on Transportation

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Many people these days love Uber (and other ride-sharing services like Lyft). But what’s the real cost of this business-disrupting technology? Connecticut’s taxis have long been regulated by the state Department of Transportation. Now they are on a more level playing field with ride-sharing companies, thanks to new regulations. Insurance is required, passengers must be picked up and delivered anywhere without discrimination, drivers undergo mandatory background checks, there’s a limit on “surge pricing,” and drivers must collect 25 cents per ride, which goes into the nearly bankrupt Special Transportation Fund.

Jim Cameron Jim Cameron 8-2-16

Buses Popular with College Students and Not Just for the Poor: Cameron on Transportation

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It might not be the most glamorous means of mass transit, but Connecticut’s 12,000-plus local and commuter buses form a vital link in our transportation network. “We’re not just a service for the needy few,” said Greater Bridgeport Transit’s CEO Doug Holcomb, the feisty young leader of one of the state’s largest and most successful bus systems.

In other words, single-occupancy car drivers’ perceptions notwithstanding, it’s not just poor folks and the car-less who rely on the bus. According to Holcomb, 90 percent of GBT’s ridership is either going to school or work. Like rail commuters, some bus passengers own cars, but prefer to take the bus for various reasons. Each of GBT’s 40-foot buses average 30 passengers an hour, an impressive number when you consider it includes rush hour and lower-ridership times.