The California Disability Services Association named the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) its Employer of the Year for providing jobs to persons with developmental disabilities.

For more than a decade, MTS has partnered with The Arc of San Diego to provide jobs for developmentally disabled individuals for bus detailing services. The program currently employs 12 individuals.

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The award highlights the agency’s commitment to diversity in the workplace and expanding job opportunities for persons with developmental disabilities. The Arc of San Diego nominated MTS for the award and the two agencies have been partners since 2005. Founded in 1951, The Arc of San Diego supports and empowers persons with disabilities to achieve their life goals through employment opportunities, education, life skills training, independent living support and other community integration activities

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MTS provides work opportunities for Arc employees at two bus facilities in East Village and Kearny Mesa. The Arc employees are responsible for ensuring the cleanliness of the interior of all MTS buses by detailing all surfaces from the ceiling to the floor. The partnership calls for more than 1,500 deep cleans annually, but the Arc employees consistently achieve more than 2,000 thanks to their speed and efficiency on the job.