KAT Garners Prestigious 2004 APTA National Public Transportation System

Outstanding Achievement Award

One of the highest honors and awards in the North American transportation industry is the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) annual Public Transportation System Outstanding Achievement Award, and for 2004, it has been bestowed upon the Knoxville Area Transit (KAT). KAT is the City of Knoxville’s public transportation system and is managed by Professional Transit Management, a national transit management firm that manages transit systems across the country.

This award spotlights KAT nationally and to the hundreds of transportation systems that comprise APTA, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C. The award is given in the category for systems that carry between 1 million and 4 million passengers. It honors systems that demonstrate achievement in efficiency and effectiveness in many areas. These include services and programs, safety, operations, customer service, financial management, attendance and employee costs, minority and women advancement, marketing, policy and administration, and community relations.

The Outstanding Achievement award is evidence that KAT has done much to advance public transportation in Knoxville. KAT’s recent accomplishments include:

• Record ridership of FY 2004 of 3.2 million – the highest ridership in 20 years
• Advancement of KAT’s Clean Fuels Program, a focus on alternative fuels and clean air programs.
• The KAT Action Plan 2010 – a public involvement process completed in 2002 to guide KAT’s planning over the next several years.
• Secured Knoxville as the host city for the 2004 Tennessee Public Transportation Association (TPTA) Annual Conference.