Exhibit 99.1
Digital Recorders, Inc. Proudly Supports Special Day to Commemorate
U.S. Public Transportation; ``Communities in Motion Day'' is
Tomorrow, Oct. 16, 2003
DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 15, 2003--Digital Recorders, Inc.
(DRI) (Nasdaq:TBUS), a market leader in transit, transportation and
law enforcement digital-communications and audio-enhancement systems,
proudly supports "Communities in Motion Day" on Thursday, Oct. 16,
2003.
Organized by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA)
and observed by transit authorities throughout the United States,
"Communities in Motion Day" is designed to promote and enforce the
importance of public transportation.
"Public transportation stimulates economic development, saves
money, creates jobs, eases traffic congestion, fosters more livable
communities, boosts real estate values, improves air quality, reduces
energy consumption, reduces traffic accidents and increases passenger
safety, and enhances mobility during emergencies. Public
transportation clearly benefits every one -- not just the 14 million
Americans who ride public transportation to and from work each weekday
or the more than a quarter of a million people who work in the
industry," David L. Turney, the Company's Chairman, Chief Executive
Officer and President, said.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION FACTS
-- Definition - Public transportation includes all
multiple-occupancy vehicle services designed to transport
customers on local and regional routes. These services are:
private and public buses; rail; ferryboats; intercity bus, and
taxi services operated under contract to a public
transportation agency; any vanpool service operated by or
under such a contract; and other transportation services for
senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
-- Ridership - According to APTA, public transportation ridership
in the U.S. has grown by 21 percent in the past seven years.
APTA estimates that more than 14 million Americans ride on
public transportation each day. The U.S. Department of
Transportation estimates another 25 million use public
transportation less frequently but on a regular basis. In
2002, Americans took 9.4 billion trips using public
transportation. APTA says work is the most popular destination
with 54 percent of all trips ending at workplaces. Fifteen
percent of all trips are to schools; 9 percent of all trips
are to shopping centers; 9 percent of all trips are to make
social visits; and 5 percent of all trips are to attend
medical appointments.
-- Providers - According to APTA, approximately 6,000 public
transportation systems operate in the U.S. and Canada. The
majority of these agencies operate more than one mode of
service. More than 2,250 agencies provide bus service, about
5,250 operate demand-response service, and 150 operate other
modes. Two-thirds of U.S. public transportation agencies
provide service designed to meet the needs of senior citizens
and persons with disabilities. Also, many agencies typically
contract service with private operators, further increasing
the number of total public transportation providers.
-- Employment - According to APTA, 370,000 public transportation
employees nationwide in 2001 provided services to the highest
number of passengers since the inception of the federal
transit program. These employees operate, maintain and manage
all modes of public transportation. The majority of employees
(60 percent), work in bus service, followed by 16 percent in
demand response, 13 percent in heavy rail, and 7 percent in
commuter rail.
-- Energy Consumption - Public transportation vehicles used
nearly 857 million gallons of fossil fuels and 5.6 billion
kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2001, less than 1 percent of
all energy consumed that year in the U.S. ("Conserving Energy
and Preserving the Environment: The Role of Public
Transportation," Robert J. Shapiro, Kevin A. Hassett, and
Frank S. Arnold, 2002.)
ABOUT APTA
APTA is an international organization that has been representing
the transit industry since 1882. Based in Washington, D.C., its
members serve the public interest by providing safe, efficient and
economical transit services, and by improving those services to meet
national energy, environmental, and financial concerns. More than 90
percent of passengers using transit in the U.S. and Canada are carried
by APTA members, which include bus, rapid transit and commuter rail
systems, and the organizations responsible for planning, designing,
constructing, financing, building, and operating transit systems and
the equipment they use. For more information about APTA, go to
www.apta.com.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Digital Recorders, Inc. is a market leader in transit,
transportation and law enforcement digital communications and audio
enhancement systems using proprietary software applications. Our
products improve the flow and mobility of people through
transportation infrastructure, as well as enhance law enforcement
agencies' surveillance capabilities. Our transit communications
products -TwinVision(R) and Mobitec route destination signage systems,
Talking Bus(R) voice announcement systems, and Internet-based,
automatic vehicle monitoring systems - enhance public transportation
around the globe. Our electronic surveillance tools, including
microphone amplifiers and processors, countermeasures devices, speech
activity detectors, and radio/television noise cancellers, help
law-enforcement agencies worldwide capture, arrest and prosecute
criminals. For more information about DRI and its operations
worldwide, go to www.digrec.com.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
In particular, any statement, express or implied, concerning future
events or expectations is a forward looking statement. Use of words
such as "expect," "fully expect," "expected," "appears," "believe,"
"plan," "anticipate," "would," "goal," "potential," "potentially,"
"range," "pursuit," "run rate," "stronger," etc., is intended to
identify forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and
uncertainties, including those described below. There can be no
assurance that any expectation, express or implied, in a
forward-looking statement will prove correct, or that the contemplated
event or result will occur as anticipated. The risks associated with
forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, product
demand and market acceptance risks, the impact of competitive products
and pricing, the effects of economic conditions and trade, legal,
social and economic risks, such as import, licensing and trade
restrictions, the results of implementing the Company's business plan,
and the impact on the Company of its relationship with its lender.
Refer to the Company's various Securities and Exchange Commission
filings, such as its Forms 10-Q and 10-K, for further information
about forward-looking statements.
CONTACT: Digital Recorders, Inc.
Veronica B. Marks, 214-378-4776
Fax: 214-378-8437
veronicam@digrec.com