Victor Valley Transit Authority was awarded Outstanding Coordination Effort Award of the Year by the California Association for Coordinated Transportation (CalACT). The award was presented at the CalACT 2017 Spring Conference and Expo in Lake Tahoe, California CalACT’s annual awards event where the association honors transit agencies that has made positive contributions to transportation and other CalACT members. Accepting the award was VVTA CTSA Director, Aaron Moore.
“This award is testament to the value VVTA delivers to its community,” said San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors Chair and VVTA Board Member, Robert Lovingood. “Although a small agency, VVTA continues making a real-world difference in the lives of those it serves.”
A driving force behind the award, the VVTA Mobility department launched in 2012, moving beyond traditional fixed route transit solutions to a strategic approach of coordinating services with nonprofits and other transportation agencies. VVTA compounded its network of success stories, when it transitioned to a Consolidated Transportation Service Agency in 2015. The agency has since launched thriving programs that serve traditional transit’s most difficult-to-reach rural areas of the county.
“From its volunteer driver programs in Trona and Big River to its innovative Needles Carshare and Victor Valley College Ram Pass student transportation programs, VVTA’s success is realized through the education, career, and life-improvement opportunities delivered to its community members, including its students, seniors, and veterans,” Lovingood said.
With students traveling up to 50-miles roundtrip to Victor Valley College, the VVC Ram Pass helps students overcome the financial burden of commuting to college by providing unlimited transportation on VVTA’s fixed route bus system, when using their student ID. The program logged 318,000 VVC student trips last fiscal year and is credited with connecting students to higher education who could not otherwise afford a ride.
In Needles, a city that lacks a supermarket and many health services, the CTSA was integral in launching the VVTA Carshare program. Life-essential services across the Colorado River in Bullhead City, Arizona are not available by scheduled local bus service. For just five dollars per hour (including fuel and insurance), residents may now use the micro-rental service to access shopping, medical, and educational services across the river.
