The Clark County Public Transit Benefit Area Authority (C-TRAN) has been named the 2019 National Mid-sized Transit System of the Year by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) as part of the association’s annual awards.
C-TRAN's award highlights its achievements over the past three years in 12 core areas: safety, operations, maintenance, access, customer service, financial management, sustainability, workforce development, attendance and employee costs, minority and women advancement, marking and community relations.
“This incredible honor exemplifies the hard work being accomplished by our world-class employees,” said C-TRAN CEO Shawn M. Donaghy. “It is also a constant reminder that public transportation is much larger than a bus stop – it’s about community engagement, relationships with local business, providing access to education, workforce opportunities, and having elected officials who work diligently to make Clark County, Washington, a premier place to live. We’re humbled to receive such a prestigious honor from APTA, and we take pride in serving our community each and every day.”
The awards, announced in July, recognize transit systems across North America. As the 2019 Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award winner, C-TRAN was judged among other systems with a total ridership between 4 million and 20 million trips per year, with C-TRAN at almost 6.2 million total trips in 2018.
C-TRAN marked several important achievements that were factored in the award selection. C-TRAN:
· Increased total ridership by 4.63 percent during the past two years, among the national leaders in changing ridership trends;
· Launched The Vine, the Portland-Vancouver region’s first and only bus rapid transit system;
· Partnered with TriMet and Portland Streetcar to introduce Hop Fastpass, a state-of-the-art regional electronic fare system, and the only one in the United States with “fare capping”;
· Received a finding of “no deficiencies” from the Federal Transit Administration’s triennial review, a rare feat achieved by only 7 percent of agencies reviewed from 2015 to 2017 (the same period as C-TRAN’s most recent review). All U.S. transit systems must periodically undergo a triennial review;
· Raised the number of hybrid-electric buses in service to 62, representing more than half of our fixed-route fleet; and
· Continued to operate as a financially healthy, debt-free agency.
“Congratulations to C-TRAN for winning the 2019 Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award,” said APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas. “Winning this prestigious award means that C-TRAN has been recognized as the top mid-size transit system in North America. Not only has C-TRAN created a world-class public transit system but it has also created a culture and vision of leadership and excellence that is a model for the public transportation industry.”
The APTA Awards highlight the best of public transportation in North America each year. C-TRAN and the rest of this year’s award winners will be honored at the APTA Annual Meeting in October.
