The American Public Transportation Association announced Palm Tran as winner of the Certificate of Merit for Safety Award at the annual APTA Bus & Paratransit Conference in Tampa, Florida on May 8, 2018. The award honors mid-sized transit agencies that have implemented exceptional safety initiatives.
Palm Tran earned the award for retrofitting its buses with “flashing lights” on the tails. Within a few months of installation, Palm Tran’s metrics revealed a tremendous reduction in rear-end collisions on the 55 buses that were part of the initial retrofitting. The program has now been expanded to include all 159 buses in the fleet.
“We are honored to receive this award as safety is our top priority,” Palm Tran Executive Director Clinton B. Forbes said. “This project represents the kind of outside-of-the-box thinking that our agency encourages and embraces.”
The innovative initiative was developed through Palm Tran’s PT Stat (Palm Tran Statistics) program. The program allows Palm Tran staff, through participation in cross-disciplinary teams, to present recommendations and propose initiatives to Palm Tran’s Executive Leadership team on a monthly basis.
One of the innovative parts of the project is that it was developed and installed in-house. The additional retrofitting costs Palm Tran $240 per bus including parts and labor. The financial benefit of implementing the project is a reduction in costly litigation associated with rear-end collisions.
“Palm Tran appreciates the recognition as we are consistently making safety enhancements. The flashing lights initiative exemplifies our commitment to keeping safety at the forefront,” Director of Operations Sean Smith said.
