We are announcing the winners of our 2026 Innovative Solutions Awards, recognizing passenger transportation providers and industry partners that are developing forward-thinking solutions across North America.

This year's winners showcase a diverse range of innovations, from integrated mobility platforms and autonomous transit to AI-powered bus lane enforcement, accessible customer information tools, and digital workforce management systems.

While each project addresses a unique operational challenge, all demonstrate how collaboration and innovation can enhance the rider experience, improve efficiency, and help shape the future of public transportation.

This Year’s Winners

The 2026 Innovative Solutions Awards recipients are:

• Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and Kuba Pay for GoPass, an integrated mobility platform that unifies trip planning, fare payment, and multimodal transportation services across multiple transit agencies.
• Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) and several partners for the Neighborhood Autonomous Vehicle Innovation (NAVI) program, the nation's first fully autonomous public transportation network and the initial phase of Jacksonville's Ultimate Urban Circulator.
• King County Metro and its internal team for its Interactive Access Service Area Map, an accessible online tool that simplifies how customers determine ADA paratransit eligibility and service availability.
• LA Metro, Hayden AI, T2 Systems, LAZ Parking, and the City of West Hollywood for an AI-powered bus lane and bus stop enforcement program that improves transit reliability, accessibility, and operational efficiency through automated violation detection and human-reviewed enforcement.
• Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) and GIRO for a workforce modernization initiative that digitized operator duty, holiday, and vacation bidding, creating a more transparent, efficient, and employee-centered process.

"Public transportation continues to evolve through the creativity and dedication of agencies and their industry partners," said Alex Roman, METRO’s executive editor. "This year's Innovative Solutions Award winners demonstrate that innovation isn't just about adopting new technology — it's about solving real-world challenges in ways that deliver measurable benefits for riders, employees, and communities."

The winning projects highlight several key trends shaping the transit industry, including integrated mobility, artificial intelligence, autonomous transportation, digital accessibility, workforce modernization, and regional collaboration. Together, they illustrate how agencies are leveraging innovation to improve service delivery while preparing for the future of mobility.

Profiles of each 2026 Innovative Solutions Award winner will go live in the coming weeks and in the APTA TRANSform & EXPO issue of our magazine in September.