Oct 12, 2006 8:11 am US/Pacific
MTA Wins Award, Begins Ridership Campaign
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
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The MTA was named the nation's best transportation agency.
metro.net
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is launching a campaign to boost ridership on its bus and trains Thursday.
The MTA was named the nation's best transportation agency of 2006 by the American Public Transportation Association in San Jose on Tuesday.
Metro employees plan to celebrate the award and campaign at a ceremony this morning that is being held at Metro Bus Division One, the oldest transit yard in Los Angeles.
"This award is really for the 9,000-plus men and women working at Metro who earned it by tending to the unique needs of Los Angeles," Molina said.
"They are the heart and soul of this agency, and this award really is a testament to their capabilities. But this is also L.A.'s award, because without our loyal customers, we would not be celebrating today," Molina said.
The new ridership campaign, "Ride America's Best," will put MTA managers on buses and trains to hand out passes and coupons to riders.
From January to June, ridership on all bus and rail lines increased 7 percent when compared to the first six months of 2005, according to Metro spokesman Marc Littman.
Clean-air buses, customer satisfaction and expanded service all helped Metro secure the national award.
MTA has 2,000 clean-air Compressed Natural Gas buses in operation and plans to have a 100 percent CNG fleet by 2008.
Rider satisfaction is at an all-time high, with 84 percent of riders reporting they are satisfied with Metro Service and 83 percent reporting that service has improved over the last year, according to the MTA.
Metro's range and service is also growing. The MTA plans to have 28 Metro Rapid Lines in operation by 2008. The Metro Orange Line opened last October, and officials broke ground on the Expo Line light rail project earlier this month.
(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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