The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) announced the winners of the 2010 Annual Bus Safety & Security Excellence Awards Sunday at the opening session of its annual Bus & Paratransit Conference in Cleveland.

“Congratulations to the 2010 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.”

Awarded in three categories determined by annual ridership, the awards recognize public transportation organizations for their positive safety and security programs and dedication to improving safety and security. The top honor is the Gold Award, which is given to organizations with the best overall bus safety or bus security program. A Certificate of Merit is given to organizations in recognition of exceptional achievement in safety or security.

According to Federal Transit Administration (FTA) statistics, riding in a bus is much safer than riding in a car. During the period of 2003 to 2008, the fatality rate for motor vehicle passengers, per 100 million passenger miles, was 1.42. For bus transit, the fatality rate in the same period for 100 million passenger miles was 0.05. In other words, a person is 28 times less likely to die while riding on a bus than while riding in a car.

The 2010 Bus Safety & Security Excellence Award winners are as follows:

Category I:  Bus systems with fewer than 4 million passenger trips annually

Safety Excellence Awards:

Gold Award for Safety – Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (Burnsville, Minn.)

Security Excellence Award:

Gold Award for Security – Go West Transit (Macomb, Ill.)

Certificate of Merit for Security – SouthWest Transit (Eden Prairie, Minn.)
 

Category II:  Bus systems with more than 4 million and fewer than 20 million passenger trips annually

Safety Excellence Awards:

Gold Award for Safety – Metropolitan Transit Authority of Nashville (Nashville, Tenn.)

Certificate of Merit for Safety – Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (Cincinnati)       
Security Excellence Award:

Gold Award for Security – Community Transit (Everett, 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 – Connecticut Transit (Hartford, Conn.)
Certificate of Merit for Safety – Dallas Area Rapid Transit (Dallas)

Security Excellence Award:

Gold Award for Security – Orange County Transportation Authority (Orange, Calif.)