ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

Brampton Transit

Electric Bus Trial

On May 4, 2021, Brampton Transit launched the largest-ever single deployment of fully interoperable battery-electric buses (BEBs) and high-powered on-route chargers. Supporting CUTRIC's Pan-Canadian BEB Demonstration and Integration Trial, Brampton Transit joined TransLink and York Region Transit in this multi-city deployment of fully interoperable BEBs and eChargers. This was accomplished with $11.2 million in federal funding, in partnership with CUTRIC, Nova Bus, New Flyer Industries, ABB Inc., Siemens Canada, and Newmarket-Tay Power Distribution Ltd.  The BEBs will achieve near-zero emissions in their lifecycle. Each bus can charge completely in less than 10 minutes and saves an estimated 235 tonnes C02e per bus per year. Supporting Transit Vision 2040 by revolutionizing service through ground-breaking innovation, greening transit to reduce emissions, financial stewardship and information sharing—this trial will benefit transit agencies across North America and Europe, becoming a catalyst for future opportunities, job creation, risk identification and mitigation..

INNOVATION

Société de transport de Montréal (STM)

Extra Connecte Program

The Extra Connecte project was launched to help the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) meet increasing demand for paratransit services (5% annually, pre-pandemic), with government subsidies at a plateau and a taxi industry unable to meet growing needs. The project also served to improve the customer experience. The innovative project involved acquiring and integrating real-time operation management systems. The STM's paratransit service was equipped with a new control room, vehicle-mounted terminals in all 86 of its minibuses, and nine new taxi providers using four different dispatch systems. All of these upgrades have greatly improved the experience of the STM's 36,600 paratransit customers, who now receive a reminder the day before each trip, as well as a notification just before their vehicle arrives. The latter feature was the first to become available in October 2019, and the massive project was completed with the implementation of an integrated billing system in May, 2021.

Marketing and Communications

MiWay (City of Mississauga)

"Goodbye Islington, Hello Kipling" marketing communications and outreach campaign

After serving the TTC Islington Station in Toronto for almost 40 years, MiWay transitioned its services to a new facility in Toronto, built by Metrolinx: the Kipling Transit Hub, on January 4, 2021. This was a major change for MiWay customers, particularly because the TTC's Islington Station has played a critical role in connecting commuters between Mississauga and Toronto for decades. The new Kipling Transit Hub was set to open on January 4, 2021 and connect MiWay buses, TTC buses and the subway and GO trains and buses, all in one place—thereby enabling commuters to more seamlessly travel throughout the GTHA, improving connectivity, accessibility and reducing wait times between transit connections. To educate customers and residents about this major change and to introduce the new Kipling Transit Hub, MiWay launched the "Goodbye Islington, Hello Kipling" marketing campaign. This began in December 2020, which included out-of-home, digital, social media, station signage and customer outreach.

SAFETY AND SECURITY

Société de transport de Montréal (STM)

Joint Community Outreach initiative for homeless people

Last fall, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) partnered with the metro unit of the Montréal police department (the SPVM) and the SDS, a local community development organization, to create a new specialized mixed patrol: the metro intervention and cooperation team (MICT). The team has been mandated to act as a support service and facilitate the harmonious co-existence of people experiencing homelessness, metro users, STM employees and business owners in the metro. The team takes an innovative, humanitarian approach to dealing with the most problematic and recurring cases in the metro network, which are flagged by front-line patrols. The MICT's mission is to develop concrete responses and sustainable solutions for vulnerable people who have experienced repeated issues in STM facilities. Its purpose is long-term problem solving rather than emergency response.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

Bow Valley Regional Transit Services Commission

Roam Transit Operations & Training Centre

In the spring of 2021, the $8.5 million Roam Transit Operations & Training Centre opened—which houses administrative offices, a state-of-the-art driver training simulator, covered storage for 32 buses, an environmentally responsible wash area and a charging station for electric buses. The 27,000 square-foot facility is zero-emission, powered by the largest solar array in Banff National Park, and is heated entirely by the new biomass energy district heating system. This super-insulated building does not have a natural gas connection. The solar array, with its 680 panels, is estimated to produce enough energy to operate the entire building and accounts for 50% of the charging for Roam’s three-bus electric fleet. With a lion's share of funding coming from the Government of Alberta, the facility was constructed by the Town of Banff and was purpose-built for Roam Public Transit, which is managed by the Bow Valley Regional Transit Services Commission.

Excellence

Paul A. Leger

Born in Moncton, New Brunswick, bus historian Paul Leger passed away in Halifax on May 20, 2019. His career started at the SMT (Eastern Bus Line) in Moncton. He continued with CN Freight and VIA Rail in Halifax until he retired in the early 1980s. Paul spent his retirement years researching transportation history. Paul helped to form the Bus History Association, a non-profit group of transportation enthusiasts, and acted as Chairman of the organization. He was also Director Emeritus at the Canadian Transit Heritage Foundation and had been a Board Member since its formation in the early 1990s.  Paul's lifelong passion for the industry made him an enthusiastic authority on transit vehicles.  Using his good working relationship with the provincial government and transit agencies around the Maritimes, Paul obtained annual fleet printouts to maintain his meticulous records. Paul's extensive collection is now housed at the NB archives at the UNB in Fredericton.

Excellence

Daniel Bergeron

Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM)

Deciding to hold public consultations in the midst of a pandemic is a testament to an organization’s courage and determination. This is what the ARTM did to advance mobility during a period when public transit ridership had been decimated. The subject of these consultations was two strategic projects developed by the transportation planning and mobility team, led by Daniel Bergeron: fare reform and the Strategic Transportation Development Plan. Communication plans were adapted, and the consultations were held via webcast from September 3, 2020, to January 26, 2021. A spokesperson was appointed to generate public and media interest. Daniel accepted this responsibility, in addition to the major projects he was piloting. Daniel increased interactions with citizens, elected officials, organizations, and the media to gain support. The task was great, and he rose to the challenge.

Edward J. Dowling Distinguished Service

John Manconi

OC Transpo, City of Ottawa

When John joined OC Transpo, he took action to increase employee engagement. He rebuilt relationships between management and transit unions, successfully negotiated long-term collective agreements and established a productive relationship with unions—which continues to this day. The resulting stability only increased public confidence in Ottawa's transit system. During his time at OC Transpo, John helped to transform transit in Ottawa—from the introduction of electronic fare systems to open payment systems that allow customers to tap the payment card of their choice. In 2019, John led Ottawa through the first ever Bus Rapid Transit to Light Rail Train conversion in the world, constructing a light rail system on top of a 35-year-old bus rapid transit network. In June of 2021, Ottawa announced plans to incorporate 450 electric buses into Ottawa's transit fleet, making it one of the largest electric bus fleets in North America.

William G. Ross Lifetime Achievement

Michael Roschlau

Michael helped to transform CUTA and has distinguished himself across Canada and around the world. While working as CUTA’s President & CEO from 1998 to 2015, Michael acted as a strong national public transit leader, championing a highly successful government relations program for transit. He maintained a relentless focus on service quality and the customer. Michael brought about a paradigm shift at CUTA, broadening the scope of traditional public transit to embrace integrated urban mobility and new technology. Since 2015, he has served as a strategic advisor for private and non-profit organizations, using his knowledge to advance these organizations and build more capacity in our industry.