Michigan's CATA Named Top Transit System

Michigan's Capital Area Transportation Authority has recently announced that it has been named as the best transit system by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) based on its services and programs, safety operations, customer service financial policies, employee behavior and costs, sensitivity to minorities and women, marketing efforts, administrative policies and its relations to the community.

The company is servicing around 4-30 million passengers in the Michigan areas and across the nation. They have also been the recipient of this award two times already. The CATA Board President dedicated the award to hard-working employees of the CATA and also to their customers. The employees were duly surprised by their chief when he announced it unexpectedly last July 19 in an employee's celebration party.

The company was the first to deliver a full sized hybrid bus in its operation last year thus enabling its 2006 record to exceed 10 million rides, breaking all known records. The company services the Ingham County in Michigan with 277,000 in population by providing fixed route bus services and also according to demand type of services as they are also serving the MSU campus students numbering over 46,000 students, according to CATA.

The company also has achieved a technology training area for its safety. They also engaged in all regional emergency response teams with drills in live and simulated situations every year. They have also detailed all bus stops and shelters thus resulting in their relocation and improvements.

They even researched a new system that protects their employees from falls during rooftop maintenance.

As for their capacity in dealing with customers, the company has recorded only one complaint for every 33,000 rides. They also implemented a phone system for better communications and especially dealing with urgent issues immediately. They also allow customers to voice their sentiments to the management, according to CATA.