Annual Awards Recognize Statewide Excellence in Public Transit

Presented by the Transportation Association of Maryland

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Stevensville, MD - The Transportation Association of Maryland (TAM), a statewide organization dedicated to improving the mobility of all Maryland citizens, hosted its Annual Excellence Awards Ceremony during its Annual Conference (Sept. 17-19) for transportation providers, vendors and non-profits at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club in Stevensville, MD.

TAM’s Annual Awards Ceremony took place Wednesday, September 18, honoring organizations and individuals in the following categories: Friend of Transit; Outstanding Transit Innovation; Outstanding Leadership; Outstanding Transit Employee; Outstanding Non-Profit Agency; Outstanding Transit System; and Driver of the Year. 

Presented by Awards Committee member Marchel Simmons and Executive Director John Duklewski, and sponsored by Uzurv, the following individuals and agencies were honored and presented awards alongside Travis Johnston, Director of the Office of Local Transit Support, MDOT MTA; and Suzanne Kalmbacher, Board President, TAM.

Friend of Transit: Mark Edelson, Maryland House of Delegates (District 47, Baltimore City)

Delegate Mark Edelson of District 46 (Baltimore City) was instrumental in the passage of our signature legislation House Bill 950, that protected funding for local transit against future cuts and ensured a baseline of funding for the future. For the first time ever, funding for local transit is now codified and protected in statute, ensuring the continued partnership between state, local, and federal funding that has characterized the success of community transportation in Maryland.

Outstanding Transit Innovation: RTA of Central Maryland

This new award, just introduced for 2024, is intended to recognize a particular program that one of our members has introduced. RTA is committed to providing accessible, efficient, and user-friendly transportation services to their community. In alignment with this commitment, they launched the "Automatic Voice Announcements Powered by Open Data" project; a groundbreaking initiative designed to enhance the rider experience, particularly for those with visual impairments and disabilities. This project represents a major technological innovation, leveraging public GTFS-real time data to automate onboard announcements - a novel solution to a common challenge faced by transit agencies. This system contributed substantially to a 20% increase in ridership, along with substantial cost savings and saved staff time. It has improved customer experience, especially from seniors and persons with disabilities. The system is cost-effective, easy to maintain, and serves as a model for other transit agencies.

Outstanding Leadership: Semia Hackett, Prince George's County TheBus

Semia's leadership, visionary approach, and unwavering commitment to enhancing transit in their agency have significantly contributed to Prince George's County  transportation advancements and the well-being of its residents. Her outstanding contributions to their transit system, including successful acquisition of over $100 million in grant funding as well as $40 million in a low and no emission bus grant, her innovative solutions to industry challenges like piloting a workforce development program, and her unwavering commitment to mentorship and leadership make Semia Hackett a distinguished candidate for the Outstanding Leadership Award. 

Outstanding Transit Employee: Steve Bladey, Transit Services of Frederick County, and Patrick O'Neill, Harford County Transit LINK

Steve Bladey has been a technical godsend to his agency. From troubleshooting large components on a half-million dollar piece of equipment, to fixing someone’s computer, he's always ready and adaptable to help their agency. Thanks to his efforts, Frederick Transit now has real time tracking not only on fixed route vehicles, but rural shuttles and paratransit vehicles as well. 

One of his associates was quoted as saying that he works tirelessly behind the scenes to make this place run. "I’m not even sure we realize how much he does, but it all works, thanks to him." Steve was even honored by Tech Frederick in their inaugural techie wards as their unsung hero – so it should come as no surprise to them that he's being honored here again.

Patrick O'Neill arrives early, usually before 4 AM, spending time in dispatch with associates, greeting drivers, and ensuring a smooth pull out. Throughout his day, he makes himself available to everyone and provides drivers and an ear to bend. His desire to succeed while spreading kindness even in the toughest situations is why everyone trusts and respects him. He never approaches any task by half measure and will commit himself to become well versed in all areas of transit operations. He leads by example, showing what can be done, always pushing himself to become better. He is the hardest on himself, wanting never to fail or let anyone down. He manages to accomplish monumental things in the time he is provided each day, and is driven and passionate about the mission of Harford County Transit LINK, the success of his fellow associates and the quality of life for the people he serves. His previous career was in broadcasting, and he has an innate ability to connect with people. Patrick's ability to empathize on one call, helping an elderly rider schedule a trip or overcome a challenge only to disconnect the line and take a transferred call with an upset rider, smoothly transitioning into an authority figure in control of the conversations and situation, continues to impress. He knows most customers’ names by their voice over the phone and where they plan to travel. He has worked hard to build a rapport with Harford's associates. Since he joined Harford Transit, he has continued to exceed expectations.

Outstanding Non-Profit Agency: LifeStyles of Maryland

LifeStyles of Maryland's mission is to provide compassionate programs and services that meet the needs of those who are underserved in their community resulting in Help, Hope and Transformation. It operates as a one-stop-shop of resources to include Transportation, Homeless & Housing Services, and Human and Basic Needs supports. The agency has provided transportation resources for more than 20 years, and has since expanded providing subsidized transit for primarily the senior and disabled populations. They have worked with community partners to also transport survivors of domestic violence, veterans, homeless and other targeted populations to access shelter and resources. During fiscal year 2023, they transported 3,121 individuals with more than 37,300 one-way trips. Annually, they serve more than 15,000 individuals with an array of resources.

 LIfeStyles' staff have provided professional and courteous services. Their older adult population loves the opportunity for dialogue as they gain transportation through their Senior Rides services. They've also expanded their transit services by providing care coordination of resources for those that have other basic needs, such as food, clothing, toiletries, and financial assistance.

Outstanding Transit System: Transit Services of Frederick County

 Frederick Transit conducted an evaluation of existing services in mid-2022 which indicated a community desire for expansion of rural transit services, along with significant pressure on paratransit services due to lack of fixed route services. Operations came together to evaluate whether efficiencies could be realized and determined that the cost savings from reduced paratransit trips could enable a cost-neutral expansion of rural transit. Extensive outreach was conducted that brought together operations and administrative staff, provided an opportunity for the operations team to bring ideas to the table and provide feedback in advance of changes, and gave operators the chance to attend outreach and serve as subject matter experts.

Transit Services of Frederick County launched their expansion of rural transit services on 4/1/2023, which included additional weekday trips and, for the first time since the trolleys ceased in the 1950s, Saturday service to the rural areas. They've shown how effective teams can become more effective, and truly better serve the people in the communities in which they live. 

Driver of the Year: Antonio Lucas, Montgomery County RIde-On

 Antonio Lucas checks all the boxes – an outstanding on time performance, no discipline, no customer complaints, accident free, and a willingness to seek out new skills and opportunities for growth. His professional, calm demeanor is necessary when operating a transit bus with passengers. 

However, he did something else that made him stand out from the rest of our state’s fine professionals. On February 23, 2024, at approximately 6:35 p.m., an alert from the Montgomery County Police Department was broadcast to the agency’s Dispatch stating a critical missing elderly lady with dementia may be in the area, and to please keep a lookout for her. A few minutes passed, and then Antonio called and stated the lady was at the a local transit Center. Since he was on his meal break, he took her to a nearby restaurant (Chick-fil-A), bought her something to eat, and stayed with her until the police arrived at 6:58 pm. His alertness and compassion in reuniting the missing lady with her family was truly commendable. His ability to remain calm under pressure and demonstrate kindness and generosity at all times resulted in a phone call of thanks from the Governor of Maryland, Wes Moore – and it results in this award. 

Congratulations to all our winners!