A Silicon Valley transit agency is gaining international recognition for its service during some of its most tumultuous and violent times. But advocates said the agency still has work to do to heal and protect its workforce.
VTA has won the Outstanding Public Transportation System award, an international recognition of transit agencies in North America honoring the agency’s service from 2021 to 2023. The nonprofit American Public Transportation Association — which has more than 1,500 member organizations — granted the award. VTA competed alongside other transit agencies with more than 15 million but fewer than 50 million passenger trips annually and was judged on 12 qualifications, including safety, maintenance and workforce development.
Judges noted VTA’s mentoring programs for female employees, climate change efforts and post-pandemic recovery, which has placed it in the top five nationwide for ridership recovery, according to VTA. The award also encompassed some of the agency’s most turbulent years, including a mass shooting that spurred conversations about a toxic work culture.