Professional Transit Management (PTM)/Veolia Transportation, Inc. announces the promotion of Kate Riley to general manager for both Sun Tran and Sun Van. Riley has been employed at Sun Tran as the director of human resources since 1981 and was promoted to assistant general manager in 2007. She replaces Katrina Heineking, who is now the general manager for a Veolia-managed property in Austin, Texas.
Riley manages fixed route, express and paratransit operations within seven governmental jurisdictions in Pima County to provide an effective and efficient transportation option to residents of the region. She oversees the operations, labor relations, marketing, public outreach, planning, service development, scheduling, procurement, maintenance, information systems, grant management and regulatory compliance for both systems.
"A Sun Tran employee and Tucson resident for over 30 years, Kate's experience and passion for public transportation make her an excellent choice to continue the work of expanding the Tucson area's regional transportation system," said Tom Hock, PTM/Veolia vice president.
Additionally, to round-out the management team, Jeff Rock has been promoted to interim assistant general manager for Sun Tran. Rock has been employed at Sun Tran since 2000, most recently holding the position of director of maintenance. He will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of nearly 300 transit and support vehicles, the maintenance of 125 paratransit vehicles, while overseeing the safe work practices of more than 500 employees.
Sun Tran is Tucson's award winning regional public transportation system, which is operated by PTM/Veolia, and under contract with the city of Tucson. With more than 600 employees, 40 fixed routes and a fleet of 237 buses, Sun Tran's mission is to provide safe, reliable, well maintained and cost effective public transportation with a team of innovative and diverse employees, dedicated to our customers, the environment and the community.
Sun Van of Tucson, with 239 employees, provides public transportation service to persons with disabilities who are unable to use Sun Tran. Named "Arizona's Best Transit System" for 2005, Sun Van has been providing paratransit service to eligible residents of the City of Tucson since 1987. Sun Van schedules approximately 480,000 passenger trips annually with an active fleet of 125 lift-equipped vans.
