TX: Sun Metro Named Outstanding Metro Transit System in Texas for 2014

May 8, 2014
Sun Metro has been named the Outstanding Metropolitan Transit System of the Year by the Texas Transit Association (TTA) for its ongoing efforts to improve public transportation in El Paso.

Sun Metro has been named the Outstanding Metropolitan Transit System of the Year by the Texas Transit Association (TTA) for its ongoing efforts to improve public transportation in El Paso.

Texas Transit Association presented the award to Sun Metro during the association’s annual conference in Fort Worth, April 26-28.

Sun Metro, which has been managed by First Transit since 2006, was first presented with the TTA’s Outstanding Metropolitan Transit System award in April 2008, for taking a leadership role in improving public transportation in Texas.

“We are committed to implementing innovative ways to improve our service and the passenger’s experience,” said Jay Banasiak, Sun Metro director. “Winning this award is a strong testament to our continued commitment to provide El Pasoans and our visitors a first-class transit system, that not only gets our passengers to their destinations in a safe, reliable and professional manner, but one that also helps improve our community’s economic development.”

In 2009, Sun Metro was awarded the American Public Transportation Association’s Outstanding System of the Year. The system hasn’t stopped to rest on its laurels, but rather taken on more goals to improve the service and the community.

Since 2011, Sun Metro has completed four new transfer centers; began renovating two older terminals into state-of-the-art centers; built a new headquarters for the system; developed various public-private partnerships to improve our passengers’ experiences; installed more than 370 new shelters; began designing an ambitious transit-oriented development for Northeast El Paso with support from a $10.3 million TIGER grant; and  broken ground and begun construction on the $145 million Sun Metro Brio — El Paso’s future bus rapid transit system.

“This tremendous achievement is the result of a team effort and we will continue to work hand-in-hand with our dedicated employees to ensure we provide the best service to our community,” Banasiak said. “I would like to thank each and every one of our high quality employees for their hard work, the mayor and city council of El Paso for their unending support, and most of all our community and our passengers.”

The TTA presents awards to the outstanding transit agencies in the state, for the design and implementation of innovative concepts as well as exceptional transportation achievements.