Vancouver, Wash.-based C-TRAN has been named the 2019 national mid-sized Transit System of the Year by the American Public Transportation Association.
Photo: C-TRAN
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Vancouver, Wash.-based C-TRAN has been named the 2019 national mid-sized Transit System of the Year by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).
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 four million and 20 million trips per year. C-TRAN tallied about 6.2 million total trips in 2018.
C-TRAN was judged among other systems with a total ridership between 4 million and 20 million trips per year.
Photo: C-TRAN
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.
C-TRAN marked several important achievements that were factored in the award selection:
Increased total ridership by 4.63% 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 U.S. with “fare capping."
Received a finding of “no deficiencies” from the Federal Transit Administration’s triennial review, a rare feat achieved by only 7% 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.
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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.
“This incredible honor exemplifies the hard work being accomplished by our world-class employees,” said C-TRAN CEO Shawn M. Donaghy. “We’re humbled to receive such a prestigious honor from APTA, and we take pride in serving our community each and every day.”
“We’re humbled to receive such a prestigious honor from APTA, and we take pride in serving our community each and every day,” said C-TRAN CEO Shawn M. Donaghy (shown).
Photo: C-TRAN
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.
The region’s fixed-route system finished out the year with a total of 373.5 million rides. Adding 12.3 million rides over 2024 represents an increase that is equal to the annual transit ridership of Kansas City.
The service is a flexible, reservation-based transit service designed to close the first- and last-mile gaps and connect riders to employment for just $5 per day.
The upgraded system, which went live earlier this month, supports METRO’s METRONow vision to enhance the customer experience, improve service reliability, and strengthen long-term regional mobility.
The agreement provides competitive wages and reflects strong labor-management collaboration, positive working relationships, and a shared commitment to building a world-class transit system for the community, said RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins.
The priorities are outlined in the 2026 Board and CEO Initiatives and Action Plan, which serves as a roadmap to guide the agency’s work throughout the year and ensure continued progress and accountability on voter-approved transportation investments and essential mobility services.
