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The public transportation industry honored its top leaders and agencies in North America at the Oct. 5 APTA Awards Luncheon, held during the APTA Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX.

Organizational Awards
APTA presented the Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award to systems in three different ridership categories.

Bloomington Transit (BT) in Bloomington, IN, received the honor among public transportation agencies that provide four million or fewer annual passenger trips. BT has operated for 37 years and saw its annual ridership more than triple in 10 years, from one million in 1999 to more than three million in 2009. The system benefits from partnerships within the community: for example, it provides universal access to the students, faculty, and staff at Indiana University and shares maintenance and operations facilities with the university’s own transit system. BT also recently introduced six hybrid-electric buses to the fleet and has plans for a LEED Silver certified downtown passenger transit facility.

Among transit agencies providing more than four million and fewer than 20 million annual passenger trips, APTA honored the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) in Tampa, FL. HART has seen ridership growth reflecting the increased population and employment opportunities of the Tampa Bay region.

The Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award for agencies providing more than 20 million annual passenger trips went to the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) in Montreal, QC. Operating a fleet of 1,680 buses and four Métro lines serving 68 stations. STM has adopted a series of strategic measures to promote ongoing increases in service and ridership: for example, according to a recent international benchmarking study conducted by Imperial College London, the Montréal Métro ranks among the most productive in the world. Other efforts include a promotional campaign showing the connection between using public transit and supporting the environment, and improved recruitment efforts to support the agency at a time of workforce expansion and renewal.

Individual Awards
The Outstanding Public Transportation Manager honor went to Hugh A. Mose, general manager of the Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) in State College, PA, and a former APTA vice chair-small operations. Over the years, he has been involved in virtually everything that APTA’s Small Operations Committee has accomplished: creation of the biennial Transportation and University Communities Conference, development of the Small Transit Intensive Cities funding tier, and the emergence of small operations as a significant component in the association. Most recently he participated in the development of APTA’s new governance and committee structure.

APTA recognized Jim Srygley, chief executive officer of S & A Systems Inc., with the Outstanding Public Transportation Business Member Award. After completing a graduate program in engineering economic systems at Stanford University, Srygley began his career in transportation developing computer simulation models and implementing first-generation programs for transit maintenance, scheduling, and run cutting. He founded the company in 1970 and has been active in APTA for its entire history, serving more than 20 years on the Member Services Committee.

Flora M. Castillo, a New Jersey Transit Corporation board member since 1999, received the Outstanding Public Transportation Board Member Award. She was the first Latina and the youngest member to serve on the board and currently oversees the Customer Service and Administration committees. As APTA’s vice chair of transit board members, Castillo has helped to increase board members’ participation in APTA committees and initiated activities to enhance professional development. Additionally, she has served on the APTA Executive Committee for three years.

Mufi Hannemann, mayor of the City and County of Honolulu from January 2005 to July 2010, received the Local Distinguished Service Award for his leadership in advancing public transportation in Honolulu and the island of Oahu. A 20-mile elevated rail system he supported is about to break ground, with funding from federal, state, and local sources and support from a coalition of stakeholders including community groups, business, labor, and the media. He also kicked off the largest public information program in city history to inform the nearly one million residents of Oahu about the rail program.

“It took a team to bring Honolulu to the cusp of achieving a lifelong dream,” said Hannemann at the ceremony. He listed these components of a successful campaign to build infrastructure:
* Political will: it comes from everyone, is critical, and needs to be maintained. Never make decisions based on fear.
* Don’t wait. A project will cost more if you wait.
* Avoid being pigeonholed. This rule is not just for transportation; it can lead to an improved quality of life.
* Set aggressive timetables. Honolulu completed its Environmental Impact Statement in an unprecedented five years. Be open and transparent.
* Build and create partnerships.
* As Fleetwood Mac sang, “Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow.” Educating the public is an ongoing process.

The luncheon was sponsored by GFI Genfare.

APTA’s 2010 Outstanding Public Transportation Manager—Hugh Mose, left, general manager of CATA in State College, PA—receives his award from David Tripp, executive director of the St. Cloud Metropolitan Transit Commission in St. Cloud, MN.	Jim Srygley, right, chief executive officer of S & A Systems Inc., accepts the Outstanding Public Transportation Business Member Award from Kim Green, president of GFI Genfare
New Jersey Transportation Corporation board member Flora Castillo receives the Outstanding Public Transportation Board Member honor from Howard Silver, past APTA chair and chair of the Golden Empire Transit District Board of Directors in Bakersfield, CA.	Former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, second from right, accepts the Local Distinguished Service Award from, from left, Joe Magaldi Jr., chair of the Honolulu Transportation Commission; Honolulu Transportation Services Director Wayne Yoshioka; and Roger Morton, head of Oahu Transit Services.
Representing STM are Carl Desrosiers, left, executive director of operations, and Bernard Blanchet, center, board member and Lachine Borough councilor. Rick Simonetta, vice president and national director of high speed rail and special projects for URS Corporation, presents them with the Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award for agencies providing more than 20 million annual passenger trips.	Shirley DeLibero, second from left, president of DeLibero Transportation Strategies LLC, honors representatives of HART with the Outstanding Public Transportation System award for agencies providing more than four million and fewer than 20 million annual passenger trips. From left are HART Chief Executive Officer David Armiko; DeLibero; HART Board Chair Ron Govin; Vice Chair Alison Hewitt; and board members Dr. Steven Polzin and Michael York.

Michael Melaniphy, left, vice president, public sector, for Motor Coach Industries, presents Bloomington Public Transportation Corporation General Manager Lewis May, center, and Board Secretary Alex Cartwright with the Outstanding Public Transportation System award for public transportation agencies that provide four million or fewer annual passenger trips.

 

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