APTA honors Houston METRO with annual achievement award

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has named the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) as the 2020 winner of the Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award.

The annual award recognizes excellence among North American public transportation providers in leadership, innovation, safety and other key areas. The Houston transit agency received the national award for the second time in five years due to several notable achievements over the past three years, according to APTA.

The association acknowledged METRO’s proactive response to Hurricane Harvey in 2017, which APTA believes served as a model for emergency response. METRO also developed METRONext, a long-range transportation plan for the Houston region that won overwhelming voter approval for a bonding authority, and maintained a commitment to accessibility.

METRO won the award in the category honoring the largest transit agencies, which provide at least 20 million or more passenger trips annually. Agencies are judged on safety, operations and maintenance, customer service, financial management, sustainability, workforce development, attendance and employee costs, diversity and inclusion, equity, marketing, policy administration and community relations.

APTA will honor this year’s winners during a virtual meeting to be held in October.