Mid-Michigan’s main public transportation system, the
Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA), received the nation’s top
transportation award for being the best transit system of its size in the
United States. This is the second time in more than 10 years that CATA has
received the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) award.
According to excerpts from the article:
“Standing there on that stage with our board chair and
the president of the union that represents our employees was an overwhelming
honor,” said Sandy Draggoo, executive director of CATA. “I couldn’t be prouder
of CATA and everyone who works there.
“We won this same award in 1991; and, in 2003, I was
named the General Manager of the Year by APTA. No other transit system in
Michigan can claim multiple wins as ‘America’s best.’ With three huge awards to
our credit, we’re sitting on top of the world.”
As executive director of CATA, Draggoo oversees 300
employees and a fleet of 196 buses and vans. Every day this fleet crisscrosses
Lansing and its environs and brings to the public, in APTA’s words,
“exceptional efficiency and effectiveness.”
According to APTA, systems are judged on their
performance over a three-year period. One system is chosen from each of four
categories, based on passenger trip totals. CATA was deemed first for 2007 in
the 4 million to 30 million-ride category, which includes 106 systems. CATA’s
ridership in 2006 broke its all-time record, exceeding 10 million rides.
Read the entire article here.
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