The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) announced the winners of the 2011 Annual Bus Safety & Security Excellence Awards at the opening session of the annual APTA Bus & Paratransit Conference in Memphis, Tenn.

"Congratulations to the 2011 Bus Safety & Security Excellence Award winners," said APTA President William Millar. "These winning public transportation systems have exemplary programs that create and sustain exceptional workplace cultures of safety and security and add value to all of us in the bus transportation industry."

Awarded in four categories determined by annual ridership for public systems and one category for contracted systems, the APTA Bus Safety & Security Excellence Awards recognize public transportation organizations for their positive and proactive safety and security programs that are dedicated to improving safety and security for the employees, passengers and the public.

The top honor is the GOLD Award, which is given to organizations with the best overall bus safety or bus security program selected by an independent panel of judges. A Certificate of Merit is given to organizations in recognition of exceptional achievement in safety or security.

The 2011 Bus Safety & Security Excellence Award winners are:

• Category I: Bus systems with fewer than four million passenger trips annually.

Safety Excellence Award:

GOLD Award for Safety - Southwest Transit - Eden Prairie, Minn.

• Category II: Bus systems with more than four million and fewer than 20 million passenger trips annually.

Safety Excellence Awards:

GOLD Award for Safety - Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority - Des Moines, Iowa.

Certificate of Merit - Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority - Cincinnati.

Security Excellence Award:

GOLD Award for Security - Pierce Transit - Lakewood, Wash.

• Category III: Bus systems with 20 million or more passenger trips annually.

Safety Excellence Awards:

GOLD Award for Safety - Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority - Cleveland.

Certificate of Merit for Safety - Maryland Transit Administration - Baltimore, Md.

Certificate of Merit for Safety - Orange County Transportation Authority - Orange, Calif.

Security Excellence Awards:

GOLD Award for Security- New York City Transit - New York

Certificate of Merit- Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County - Houston.

Certificate of Merit- Regional Transportation District - Denver.

• Category IV: Private contractors providing transportation management and services to bus transit systems.

Safety Excellence Award:

GOLD Award for Safety - Forsythe Transportation, Arlington Transit - Arlington, Va.