When Rose Lucey-Noll began working for the Cambria County Transit Authority in 1994, passengers relied on big buses that belched soot and guzzled diesel. And CamTran's maintenance and operation center still relied on aged, inefficient sites in Johnstown's Moxham neighborhood.

But over her more than 30 years with the authority, Lucey-Noll has steered CamTran through a generation of change, board members said Friday.

Lucey-Noll, who will retire later this month after nearly 20 years as director, spearheaded efforts to transition CamTran's bus fleet to cleaner compressed natural gas; develop CamTran's headquarters in the city's Woodvale section; and, above all, expand services to Cambria County residents who rely on public transportation to work, shop and access medical appointments.

"The building we're standing in, she led the charge on. The Ebensburg (rural transit) facility rehab, she led the charge on," board President Joe Slifko said, expressing the board's "deep gratitude" for Lucey-Noll's service.

She worked with staff to ensure critical government-mandated reviews, inspections and audits were performed without issues, he added.

Lucey-Noll joined CamTran as its head of marketing in 1994 after previously working as a transportation planner for the Blair County Planning Commission. In 2007, she ascended to the role as director of what is now a $21 million organization with 150 employees.

Lucey-Noll cited efforts to bolster transportation services to the public as one of her biggest points of pride. That includes efforts such as the countywide Medical Assistance Transportation Program – and separate moves that have expanded service to additional medical centers and the county's Day Reporting Center.

Given Cambria County's poverty rate – which is more than 4% above the national average – CamTran's services are essential for the large number of working poor, older people and families without personal vehicles, she said.

"Public transportation is a vital, essential service," Lucey-Noll said. "It gets people who do not drive to work every day. It connects senior citizens to services so they can stay in their homes longer. It gives people access to the food they need.

"I'm very proud of what we've been able to do to assist people in this community who need help – to give them a hand up."

She said it has been a priority to make sure that service was something people could count on year-round. Even when other public transportation providers across the U.S. idled service during the height of COVID-19, CamTran's fleet stayed on the road, Lucey-Noll said.

"The people riding our buses, they were our community's essential workers – the people putting groceries on the shelves, cleaning medical facilities and providing food and security," she said.

CamTran officials had to act quickly to revamp policies enabling their busses to continue carrying people in a safe manner designed to prevent the spread of the virus. Then they got to work helping with the crucial response, she said.

Instead of transporting people to food banks, CamTran's shared-ride program started delivering boxes of food to homes. CamTran worked with county officials and care providers to carry passengers to vaccine clinics – and enabled nurses to use buses as mobile vaccination sites, she said.

"I'm proud of the work we did," she said, describing the response as a team effort.

She credited fellow staff, board members, state and federal officials, and county commissioners – both past and present – for keeping public transportation a priority in Cambria County.

In doing so, the transit authority's annual ridership – 1 million annually before COVID-19 – has almost fully returned to that mark, climbing back to 950,000 over the past year, Lucey-Noll said. By comparison, the 2025 nationwide ridership rate was still at 81% of pre-pandemic levels, U.S. figures show.

Given the challenges public transportation authorities can face, Slifko acknowledged it isn't always a smooth ride.

While CamTran's $20 million Woodvale operations center was lauded for ushering in an era of cleaner fuel and the first compressed-gas fueling station for public busing in Pennsylvania, the Johnstown Inclined Plane rehabilitation project weathered supply chain issues, parts problems and other setbacks.

CamTran officials came under heavy scrutiny as the project dragged into its sixth year and climbed from $15.7 million to $18.7 million before the Inclined Plane reopened earlier this month.

"With all the noise and the distractions, what a leader does is put her head down and get things done. And that's what Rose has always been able to do" regardless of the challenge, Slifko said.

He said the community is better served by public transportation thanks to Lucey-Noll's leadership.

"At CamTran, we impact people's lives every single day," Slifko said. "And Rose has left such a huge impact on the county ... through her vision for transit in our community."

Lucey-Noll's successor, Kim Morley, echoed similar words last month after being hired to the executive director position, saying CamTran's longtime director deserves praise.

Lucey-Noll said the organization will be in good hands under Morley, a 12-year CamTran employee and current chief financial officer. Morley is well-prepared for the job, Lucey-Noll said.

The authority's retiring director said she'll be reachable if CamTran officials have questions during the transition, but she's looking forward to her next chapter in life.

"I'm looking forward to spending more time with my family," she said.

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