Ten organizations and leaders were awarded for their commitment to public transit by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

“APTA’s award recipients are exemplary organizations and community leaders. I am proud of their achievements and grateful for the work they have done to push our industry forward. To my friends and colleagues who are this year’s awardees, I offer my deepest congratulations,” said Jeff Nelson, APTA chair and general manager, Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District (MetroLINK), Moline, Illinois.

APTA also recognized four new members to the APTA Hall of Fame: Grace Crunican, Delon Hampton (posthumously), Arthur Leahy and Stephen Schlikman.

Crunican retired as general manager of Bay Area Rapid Transit in 2019. She oversaw over 3,500 employees and $30 billion of transportation infrastructure.

Hampton retired in 2018 and dedicated his career to civil engineering. He joined APTA in 1998 and he was the former chair of the Business Member Board of Governors.

Leahy has spent nearly 50 years in the transit industry and was named APTA’s Public Transportation Manager of the Year in 2017.

Schlikman has been an advocate for people with disabilities since the 1980s. He has created fair transit access, while being active in APTA for over 40 years.

“Congratulations to all who have been recognized for their accomplishments and for making positive impacts in their communities. The four inductees into the APTA Hall of Fame have dedicated their careers to strengthening our industry,” said APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas. “The systems and individuals being recognized have made our industry more innovative and have been at the forefront of building for the future in an unprecedented time of challenge and change.”

• Organization Awards

OUTSTANDING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 4 MILLION OR FEWER TRIPS - Mountain Line, Missoula, Montana

Mountain Line has been awarded a $1 million grant from the Montana Departure of Environmental Quality to buy new electric buses.

OUTSTANDING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM ACHIEVEMENT AWARD -MORE THAN 4 MILLION BUT FEWER THAN 20 MILLION TRIPS - Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT), Sacramento, California

SacRT lowered fares, expanded service, completed a comprehensive route optimization; introduced one of the nation's biggest and most successful microtransit services, regained the trust of city jurisdictions and reannexed them back into SacRT. They also implemented the nation's first free rides for student program of its magnitude while achieving double-digit ridership growth; and increased operating reserves by nearly 500%.

OUTSTANDING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM ACHIEVEMENT AWARD -20 MILLION OR MORE TRIPS - Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Chicago, Illinois

CTA has completed, started work on, or begun planning more than $8 billion in improvement projects and carried more than 250,000 essential workers and others every day during the pandemic.

• Innovation Awards

City of San Louis Obispo (SLO Transit), San Louis Obispo, California

SLO Transit’s public transit system is the first to integrate reactive smart lighting in its transit fleet.

Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA), Jacksonville, Florida

JTA partnered with Mayo Clinic to transport COVID-19 samples on the medical facility’s campus. JTA also introduced a “Frontline Foodservice” to provide front line health care workers food from local restaurants.

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro), Los Angeles, California

LA Metro launched a Career Pathways/Workforce Initiative Now-Los Angeles. This initiative is a workforce development program that creates career pathways in the transportation industry.

• Individual Awards

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD - A. Bradley Mims

Mims has been an advocate for diversity and inclusion in the transportation industry. He is also the former president and CEO of Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO).

OUTSTANDING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATON BUSINESS MEMBER - Huelon Harrison

Harrison joined the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) in 1998 and he has been active in APTA since 1999. Harrison helps large firms identify qualified small DBE companies to obtain business opportunities.

OUTSTANDING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION BOARD MEMBER - Cindy Chavez

Chavez is the president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. She is known as a leader throughout the Santa Clara Transportation Authority (VTA) and showcased her leadership during the mass-shooting at its light-rail facility in downtown San Jose in May 2021.

OUTSTANDING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION MANAGER - Dorval Carter, Jr.

Carter Jr. has been the president of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) since 2015. He leads CTA to serve 1.5 million daily riders.