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Public Transit Agencies Celebrate Anniversaries

Five U.S. public transportation agencies are celebrating noteworthy anniversaries in 2014.

Denver RTD, 45
Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) marked its 45th anniversary on July 1. While the city’s history of public transportation dates to horse cars in the 1800s, the creation of RTD on July 1, 1969, began the age of serving the whole region through a single public transportation agency.

In 1973, voters approved RTD funding through sales taxes to create an integrated regional public transportation system. During the next few years, RTD acquired several suburban bus services, creating a unified agency for the region’s public transportation. The agency opened its first light rail line in 1994, began paratransit in 1995, and saw voters approve the FasTracks sales tax initiative in 2004.

rabbittransit, 40
The public transit agency in York, PA—rabbittransit—is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

The York County Commissioners formed the agency on Nov. 1, 1974, with the name York Area Transit Authority (YATA). More recently, the agency merged with the Adams County Transit Authority and changed its name to the York Adams Transportation Authority. The organization operates public transit services in York, Adams, and Northumberland counties and rebranded itself as rabbittransit in 2000.

The agency has begun its year-long celebration with a commemorative logo, will offer fun facts about its history on Facebook, and will conduct promotions and events. A birthday party and free rides are scheduled Nov. 1 at rabbittransit’s downtown Transfer Center.

MARTA, 35
The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) recently held a special event, “The Way We Rode,” to honor its 35 years of history.

The program included an exhibit of vintage and modern-day buses, displays that chronicled special moments over the years, and an overview of MARTA’s impact on the region. A video tribute to MARTA’s history featured interviews with luminaries including former President Jimmy Carter, U.S. Rep. and civil rights icon John Lewis (D-GA), and community leader/MARTA Board Member Juanita Abernathy.

Metra, 30
Metra commuter rail recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of its founding as a new entity created to oversee all of Chicago’s commuter rail operations. This was the latest part of a history of passenger rail dating back more than a century and, more recently, the creation of the Regional Transportation Authority in 1974.

“When we sell ‘Metra’ to potential new riders, they’ll know we mean an entire rail service for the whole metropolitan area,” said Jeffrey Ladd, Metra’s first board chairman.

Ventura County Transportation Commission, 20 and 25
The Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC), CA, recently achieved two major milestones: its 25th anniversary as the county’s regional transportation planning agency and its 20th anniversary as the operator of VISTA, the county’s most extensive intercommunity bus service.

In recent years, VCTC has expanded VISTA bus service, expanded its commuter services program through partnerships with local employers and annual promotions, and allocated nearly $279 million in state Proposition 1B funds to support highway and bridge improvements. The commission also has made it a priority to create user-friendly resources for its customers that match trends and technological advancements.
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