Passenger Transport August 2017 Vol 75 No 15 - 10
2017 ANNUAL MEETING & EXPO PREVIEW
2017 APTA Awards Recipients Announced
APTA IS HONORING 10 of public transportation's most exemplary agencies, businesses
and individuals during a ceremony Tuesday,
Oct. 10.
The winners were selected by the
14-member APTA Awards Committee, chaired
by Jeanne Krieg, chief executive officer, Eastern
Contra Costa Transit Authority, Antioch, CA.
"The 2017 APTA Awards recipients are distinguished individuals and organizations who
have made significant contributions to the public transportation industry," Krieg said. "Their dedication and
accomplishments have made a difference for millions of
people in North America." A summary of winners follows.
Organization Awards
10-12 minutes on most trunk services, a
frequency that is unusual for a mid-size
bus system.
The State Road and Tollway Authority
(SRTA), Atlanta, will receive the Innovation Award for its Ride Transit pilot
program that encouraged people to use
public transportation instead of driving
solo on the I-85 corridor. Participants
who rode on the SRTA Xpress routes
are rewarded with toll credits. Eighty
percent of the participants received toll
credits totaling nearly $9,000.
Three public transit systems will
receive the Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award for
accomplishments from 2014-2016.
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC),
Toronto, Canada, was selected as the best
large public transportation system in
North America. TTC developed a fiveyear plan to modernize the system from
top to bottom, including infrastructure,
processes and organizational culture.
TTC has increased its service and has
seen record ridership and improved
customer satisfaction. In addition,
TTC built a second subway platform to
reduce overcrowding at Toronto's Union
Station, the busiest passenger transportation facility in Canada.
Individual Awards
Knoxville Area Transit (KAT), Knoxville, TN, is being honored as the best
small public transit system in North
America. KAT, which has been described
as "big city transit with a small-town
feel," made improvements to 14 of its
23 regular fixed routes. Preventable accidents declined by 20 percent, and KAT
took the leadership role in forming a
statewide maintenance alliance to share
best practices and bus orders, leading to
savings of up to $70,000 per vehicle.
Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA), Albany, NY, was chosen as
the best mid-size public transportation
system in North America. In the past
three years, CDTA's ridership has been
at record or near-record levels because
of innovative projects like upstate New
York's first BRT service and a successful Universal Access rider program.
Additionally, bus frequencies have been
increased during peak travel times to
10 | Passenger Transport
Kirk Dillard, chairman of Chicago's
Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), and
Atlanta Mayor
Kasim Reed will
each receive the
Local Distinguished Service
Award, given
Kirk Dillard
to individuals
who have made significant contributions at the local level to public transit
through policy, legislative initiative and
leadership.
Dillard has a long history of advocating for public transportation in Illinois,
including as a state senator when he
served on the transportation committee
and sponsored a safety initiative that led
to a significant drop in grade-crossing
fatalities. As RTA chairman, he has been
a visible and
vocal champion
for public transportation at both
the local and
national levels.
Reed routinely rode Metropolitan Atlanta
Rapid Transit
Mayor Kasim Reed
Authority (MARTA) buses and trains
when he was young. As a state senator,
he was instrumental in helping MARTA
receive state funding, and he remains an
important and outspoken advocate for
MARTA. He played an important role in
the passage of a 2014 referendum that
sought to bring MARTA services back to
Clayton County.
The Outstanding Public Transportation Board Member recipient is
Richard (Dick)
Ober, chairman, board of
directors, Beaver
County Transit
Authority (BCTA),
Richard (Dick) Ober
Rochester, PA.
First appointed to the inaugural BCTA
board in 1980, Ober has been elected
chairman 17 times. His passion and
commitment for BCTA have greatly contributed to building a forward-thinking
public transit system that had nine
consecutive years of record ridership-
a record unmatched in the state.
Motor Coach
Industries (MCI)
Vice President
Patrick Scully is
the Outstanding
Public Transportation Business
Member honoree.
An industry
leader and strong Patrick Scully
public transportation advocate, Scully began his
career in the bus industry in 1988. As
MCI executive vice president, sales and
marketing, he contributes to long-term
planning and tactical executing. He
brought these skills to APTA where he
has been an active committee member-
most recently serving on the Executive
Committee and chairing the Business
Member Board of Governors, where he
was instrumental in leading a business
member fly-in to advocate for congressional support.
Metrolink CEO Art Leahy will receive
the Outstanding
Public Transportation Manager
Award. For
46 years, Leahy
has led critical
rail, bus and
highway projects
to reduce traffic,
improve mobilArt Leahy
ity and shape
transportation. At the beginning of his
career, he led the push for the first light
rail/subway system in Los Angeles. In
the past two years, his leadership has
transformed Los Angeles' Metrolink into
a premier commuter rail system. He has
been an innovative and engaged leader
for the four agencies he has led.
Robert Prince has been named to the
APTA Hall of Fame.
Prince's career
in the public
transit industry
is defined by his
outstanding management of transit
operations at the
Massachusetts Bay
Transportation
Robert Prince
Authority (MBTA),
his work in renewing and expanding
MBTA's historic infrastructure and his
dedication to supporting and mentoring
the next generation of transit leaders.
Prince started his career as a bus
operator at the MBTA and 25 years
later he was the agency's first AfricanAmerican general manager. After retiring
from MBTA, he worked at AECOM for
14 years. Prince was an active member
of APTA, where he served on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors,
He chaired the American Public Transportation Foundation for 11 years and
continues to mentor the next generation
of leaders as an emeritus member.
EXPO EXTRAS
An International Perspective
IN KEEPING WITH EXPO's international reach and appeal, the event features
exhibitors from around the globe and attendees from several countries, educational
programs with an international flair and opportunities for international attendees to get
together.
Several countries, including Brazil, Turkey, China, the Philippines, South Africa and
Vietnam, are sending delegations of attendees to EXPO, and three countries have their
own pavilions: the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, Business
France and Swissrail Industry Association.
In addition, APTA has developed free sessions in the International Learning Zone on
the EXPO floor, focused on best practices, international market trends and market conditions in several countries.
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Passenger Transport August 2017 Vol 75 No 15
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