The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) awarded St. Petersburg, Fla.’s Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) the nationwide Excellence in Inclusive Collaboration Award for the SunRunner — the Tampa Bay region’s first-of-its-kind bus rapid transit service.

The national award recognizes PSTA for its collaboration with Jones Worley, an African American woman-owned disadvantaged business enterprise, and H.W. Lochner, the prime engineer of record for the project.

The three entities demonstrated excellence in inclusion and partnership to make the SunRunner a success for Pinellas County, APTA announced via press release.

“We have always known how partnering with the private sector leads to success and Jones Worley and Lochner were incredible partners with PSTA to bring the SunRunner to life,” said Brad Miller, CEO at PSTA. “Receiving this award is a credit not only to our staff and the Jones Worley and Lochner teams, but also to our board of directors, state and federal lawmakers, and the many leaders in Pinellas County and Tampa Bay who have supported our vision and goal to improve the community.”

PSTA’s SunRunner

The SunRunner launched in October 2022 with the goals of attracting new riders to transit; making life better for residents, businesses, and visitors; and contributing to a safer, cleaner community.

Within its first year, the SunRunner surpassed one million riders and remains one of the highest-ridership transit routes in the region.

The SunRunner’s route serves more than 50,000 jobs and 40,000 residents within a half-mile radius, covering PSTA's most heavily used corridor.

PSTA’s APTA Award 

The APTA award specifically honors the SunRunner for its excellence in design, branding, and marketing strategy.

PSTA leadership recognized that introducing the SunRunner to the public and promoting its benefits required a strategic, comprehensive campaign that worked to all target audiences.

Key to the strategy were brightly colored vehicles with friendly designs, along with an outreach campaign that touched neighborhoods, businesses, and community groups to connect the new service with potential users.

This is the second year that the Excellence in Inclusive Collaboration Award has been offered, with only one honoree selected from among hundreds of transit agencies across the U.S. and Canada.

Last year, TriMet received the award for the first TriMet FXTM ( Frequent Express) bus lane.