The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has awarded SouthWest Transit its 2013 Gold Award for Safety and 2013 Certificate of Merit for Security for bus systems operating 1 million – 4 million passenger trips.
“I want to commend all of these winners for their tremendous contribution to safety and security in the public transportation industry,” said APTA President and CEO Michael P. Melaniphy. “They are setting an example that will allow for the entire industry to continue to make a safe industry even safer for its employees and riders.”
This is the fifth year that SouthWest Transit has been honored by APTA for its safety program and the second time its emergency preparedness program has been recognized.
“Safety and security are of utmost concern to SouthWest Transit. It takes a great deal of effort from the entire agency to ensure the safety of our riders,” said SouthWest Transit’s Commission Chair Jerry McDonald. “To win these prestigious awards is truly outstanding and is testament to the commitment of each and every person who is a part of SouthWest Transit.”
The Gold Safety Award is awarded to the transit property who demonstrates through its operating statistics that it is the top safety performing transit agency in the country. Things such as the number of preventable accidents per miles driven, lost time due to workplace injury and miles driven between vehicle road calls are just some of the statistics collected and compared.
“This is not about just one person or one team doing the right thing. It’s about everyone working together to make sure our customers are safely transported to and from work and home. This award recognizes the hard work, extensive planning and dedication of every staff member of SouthWest Transit,” said CEO Len Simich.
“We owe it to our customers and employees to do whatever we can to keep them safe,” Simich said. “While it may seem fundamental, safety and security are the most important things we do on a daily basis.”
