AC Transit has been named the Transit Agency of the Year by the Northern California Chapter of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) for its achievements and contributions to the transportation industry. It is COMTO’s highest award, recognizing “consistent leadership in promoting and supporting COMTO’s values at all of its operations.”
Under the leadership of General Manager David Armijo, and its Board of Directors, AC Transit has championed the ideals of COMTO to: provide equal access to transportation careers and advance the transportation interests of communities of color.
“It is particularly gratifying to be honored for the work we are doing to improve transportation options and business opportunities for the people in the neighborhoods we service,” said Joe Wallace, AC Transit Board vice president and operations committee chair. “We are proudly improving operations at all levels, as borne out by our recent eight percent increase in ridership. We’re moving in the right direction.”
Indeed, AC transit recently replaced one-third of its fleet with more than 200 new buses; grown its ridership; steadily increased its revenues; and increased its DBE participation to 22 percent.
Additionally, AC Transit has added 120 employees, introduced an internship program; is forging a Bus Rapid Transit Project; enhancing the Line 51 corridor from Berkeley to Alameda; and collaborating with BART to operate new Late Night bus service from San Francisco’s Mission District to Pittsburg Bay Point in the East Bay.
As the third largest transit agency in California, AC Transit has a $320 million annual budget, serves nearly 200,000 daily riders and employs 1,750 workers. Its “Agency of the Year” honor will be awarded at COMTO’s 11th Annual Scholarship and Industry Awards Dinner Dance on Dec. 5th at the Oakland Marriott Hotel.
Along with AC Transit, Leslie Rogers, regional administrator for Federal Transit Administration, will receive the “Leadership Excellence Award”; and Jesús M. Vargas, principal, VSCE Inc. will be honored as the “Disadvantaged Business Enterprise of the Year”
