RTC SERVES the cities of Reno and Sparks, and areas of Washoe County. Leah Harnack/Mass Transit Not Afraid to Innovate By Leah Harnack With cutting-edge technology in a small package, RTC is the “biggest little transit agency” transforming how it moves its community. UTONOMOUS TECHNOLOgy, mobile payments, electric vehicles and virtual reality are just some of the things the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Washoe County in Reno, Nevada, is using to make public transportation a convenient, effi - cient option people want to choose. Reno is a rapidly changing community, seeing millennials moving in, as well as a lot of high-tech companies. Th e tech-savvy workforce is one that’s looking for transportation choices, RTC Chief Executive Offi cer Lee Gibson said. “We want to be at the forefront to provide the information to this new customer base so they are aware and have the 10 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | APRIL/MAY 2017 information they need to make the choices that they want to make.” RTC was formed as a result of legislation, consolidating the Regional Street and Highway Commission, the Regional Transit Commission and the Washoe County Area Transportation Study Policy Committee. As the MPO for the transit authority and the street and highway building agency, Gibson said of RTC, “We are able to take a much more comprehensive view of fi nancial and programmatic issues that allow us to perhaps do things in a more comprehensive administration framework. “I think having all those functions wrapped into us is an advantage.” Like transit agencies across the country, funding is one of the biggest ongoing challenges. Th e cost of providing transportation services is rising faster than the revenue sources. RTC has a quarter percent sales tax that is designated to transit and an eighth percent sales tax that’s dedicated to transportation, which could be either for the state and highway program or transit. Community Development Gibson mirrored the slogan when he said, “We are a big little city. “We face a lot of signifi cant challenges with respect to our economy, our social fabric, our physical environment, which includes substantial historical resources.” He continued, “We’re a great microcosm of all of the variables all of our big
MassTransit_AprilMay_2017
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