Vancouver, WA: C-TRAN has been named the 2019 national mid-sized Transit System of the Year by the American Public Transportation Association.
The honor was officially announced this month as part of the annual APTA Awards, which recognizes transit systems across North America. As winner of the Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award for mid-sized agencies, C-TRAN was judged among other systems with a total ridership between 4 million and 20 million trips per year. C-TRAN tallied about 6.2 million total trips in 2018.
The award encompasses C-TRAN’s achievements during 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, marketing 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.”
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
- Continued to operate as a financially healthy, debt-free agency
“Congratulations to C-TRAN for winning the 2019 Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award. Winning this prestigious award means that C-TRAN has been recognized as the top mid-size transit system in North America,” said APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas. “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.
APTA Agency of the Year Submission
C-TRAN is the regional public transportation provider for portions of Clark County. It offers Local bus service within its Clark County service area, Regional bus service to the nearest MAX light rail station, and Express commuter service to downtown Portland. It also provides Connector service within the city limits of Camas, La Center, and Ridgefield. For more information on C-TRAN please visit C-TRAN’s website at www.c-tran.com, or call Passenger Service at (360) 695-0123.
Contact:
Christine Selk, Communication and Public Affairs Manager/PIO
(360) 906-7314 Office
(503) 860-0508 Cell