FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1, 2024
MARTA
RECEIVES APTA BUS SAFETY GOLD AWARD FOR INNOVATIVE BUS HAZARD REPORTING
CAMPAIGN
ATLANTA – The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) received the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Bus Safety Gold Award last night at the 2024 APTA Mobility Conference, for its campaign to incentivize bus operators to identify and
report road hazards or unsafe working conditions.
“We’re always looking for innovative ways to keep our employees and customers safe,” said MARTA General Manager and CEO Collie Greenwood. “The Bus Hazard Reporting Safety Campaign engages all levels of the agency, from executive leadership to frontline workers, in pursuit of
safe, quality bus service, and instills a proactive safety culture throughout the Authority.”
MARTA’s Department of Safety and Quality Assurance developed and directed the campaign for seven months from fall 2022 to last spring, during which bus operators submitted hazard reports through a hotline. Once the hazard was verified, the reporting operator was entered into
a drawing to win a monetary award. Operators reported 49 hazards such as tree limbs or road signs blocking the street, or other impediments to safely offloading bus passengers. All hazards reported during the campaign have been addressed.
“The campaign fostered a culture at MARTA where safety is not just a set of rules to follow, but a collective responsibility shared by all individuals within the organization,” said Chief of Safety and Quality Assurance Ralph McKinney. “The campaign reinforced the
importance of hazard reporting and succeeded in encouraging a higher level of involvement from frontline staff.”
Since the campaign’s conclusion, bus operators have remained diligent in reporting potential hazards, leading to a safer overall customer and employee experience, and improving safety for others on the road.
Photo 1: Gena Major, MARTA, Deputy Chief of Safety
& Quality Assurance; Ella Lee, MARTA, Director of Safety; Ralph McKinney,
MARTA, Chief of Safety & Quality Assurance; Andrea Hubbard, MARTA, Manager
of Bus Safety.
Photo 2: Ralph McKinney, MARTA, Chief of Safety & Quality
Assurance.
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