June 23 , 2005

For more information contact:
Donna Johnson
donna.johnson@dot.iowa.gov
515-233-7875

Iowa DOT commends Iowa transit systems

AMES , Iowa – The Iowa Department of Transportation's Office of Public Transit (OPT) presented awards June 8 to acknowledge the operations and staff of Iowa 's public transit systems.

Michelle McEnany, OPT Director, presented awards in four categories at an awards ceremony last week as part of the joint DOT and Iowa Public Transit Association's annual training conference in Cedar Rapids. Recipients of the awards are as follows:

Special Achievement Award

Three transit systems were honored with special achievement awards; one each to represent the 16 regional transit systems, 12 large urban transit systems and seven small urban transit systems. In this same order, recognition for the lowest operating cost per ride for the year ending June 30, 2004, went to: North Iowa Area Council of Governments, headquartered in Mason City ; University of Iowa Cambus , based in Iowa City ; and Ottumwa Transit Authority.

Special Recognition

One each of the regional, large urban and small urban transit systems was singled out for obtaining the highest level of local match for transit operations as reported for the year ending June 30, 2004. In this same order, the following three transit systems were honored: East Central Iowa Council of Governments/East Central Iowa Transit, headquartered in Cedar Rapids ; city of Iowa City , Iowa City Transit; and city of Clinton , Clinton Municipal Transit Administration.

Certificate of Appreciation

Ten managers or staff members, representing nine transit systems, were acknowledged for their role in serving as administrator of a consortium procurement for the purchase of public transit vehicles in Iowa. Recipients are as follows: Carol Pelfrey and Mike Drottz - Des Moines Metropolitan Transit Authority; Earl Henry - Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation/Northeast Regional Transit System, Decorah; Kevin Kramer - North Iowa Area Council of Governments/North Iowa Area; Regional Transit System, Mason City; Steve Hoesel - Mid-Iowa Development Association Council of Governments, Fort Dodge; Marty Wymore - Region 6 Planning Commission/Peoplerides, Marshalltown; Brian Schoon - Iowa Northland Regional Transit Commission, Waterloo; Robyn Jacobson - East Central Iowa Council of Governments/East Central Iowa Transit, Cedar Rapids; Jim Burns - Region XII Council of Governments/Western Iowa Transit System, Carroll; and Pam Ward - 10-15 Regional Transit Agency, Ottumwa.

Special Acknowledgement
Special recognition was given to 13 transit systems for expanding public transit services to the people of Iowa through participation in the Job Access/Reverse Commute Program. Acknowledgement was given to the following agencies:

• Five Seasons Transportation and Parking, Cedar Rapids
• Des Moines Metropolitan Transit Authority, Des Moines
• Keyline Transit, Dubuque
• Metropolitan Transit Authority of Black Hawk County , Waterloo
• MuscaBus, Muscatine
• Ottumwa Transit Authority, Ottumwa
• Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation/Northeast Regional Transit System, Decorah
• North Iowa Area Council of Governments/North Iowa Area Regional Transit System, Mason City
• Regional Transit Authority/Rides, Spencer
• Delaware , Dubuque and Jackson County Regional Transit Authority, Dubuque
• River Bend Transit, Davenport
• Regional XII Council of Governments/Western Iowa Transit System, Carroll
• Southwest Iowa Planning Council/Southwest Iowa Transit Agency, Atlantic

McEnany said, “Last year Iowa 's public transportation system provided Iowans with nearly 23 million rides. Iowans rely on public transportation to get to jobs, school, medical appointments and community resources. We are very pleased with the results Iowa has been able to achieve in part by the support of local governments and dedicated transit system staff.”

Iowa is served by 35 public transit systems. There are 19 urban transit systems, each providing transit services in one or more communities of more than 20,000 in population; 12 of these systems serve areas with greater than 50,000 in population. There are also 16-multi-county regional transit systems that provide transit services in all areas of the state.

For more information about public transportation, visit iatransit.com .

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Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation/Northeast Regional Transit System, Decorah (Serves Allamakee, Clayton, Fayette, Howard, and Winneshiek counties)

North Iowa Area Council of Governments/North Iowa Area Regional Transit System, Mason City (Serves Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Franklin , Hancock, Kossuth, Mitchell, Winnebago, and Worth counties)

Regional Transit Authority/Rides, Spencer (Serves Buena Vista, Clay, Dickinson , Emmet, Lyon, O'Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto , and Sioux counties)

Mid-Iowa Development Association Council of Governments, Fort Dodge (Serves Calhoun, Hamilton, Humboldt, Pocahontas, Webster, and Wright counties)

Region 6 Planning Commission/Peoplerides, Marshalltown (Serves Hardin, Marshall, Poweshiek, and Tama counties)

Iowa Northland Regional Transit Commission, Waterloo (Serves Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler , Chickasaw, and Grundy counties)

Delaware , Dubuque and Jackson County Regional Transit Authority, Dubuque (Serves Delaware, Dubuque and Jackson counties)

River Bend Transit, Davenport (Serves Cedar, Clinton , Muscatine , and Scott counties; and the Illinois-Quad City Area)

East Central Iowa Council of Governments/East Central Iowa Transit, Cedar Rapids (Serves Benton , Iowa , Johnson, Jones, Linn, and Washington counties)

Regional XII Council of Governments/Western Iowa Transit System, Carroll (Serves Audubon, Carroll, Crawford, Greene, Guthrie, and Sac counties)

Southwest Iowa Planning Council/Southwest Iowa Transit Agency, Atlantic (Serves Cass, Fremont , Harrison, Mills, Montgomery , Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby counties)

10-15 Regional Transit Agency, Ottumwa (Serves Appanoose, Davis, Jefferson, Keokuk, Lee, Lucas, Mahaska, Monroe, Van Buren, Wapello, and Wayne counties)