Houston transit agency earns APTA achievement award

The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) received the 2015 Outstanding Public Transportation Award from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

Houston-based METRO won in APTA's category for largest transit agencies, comprising those that provide 20 million or more passenger trips annually. The award acknowledges accomplishments over the past three years, METRO officials said in a statement.

The agency was judged on safety, operations, maintenance, customer service, financial management and a slew of other factors. Specific quantitative measures such as riders per hour and total passenger miles were also taken into account, METRO officials said.

"We're being recognized by our peers nationally for all our hard work and progress in all areas," said METRO Chairman Gilbert Garcia in a statement.

The 2015 APTA Awards will be presented in October in San Francisco.