The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has named Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) President and Executive Director Gary Thomas its Outstanding Public Transportation Manager of the Year.
Thomas, with DART for nearly 20 years, met APTA’s award criteria of “having a proven track record for advancing the public transportation industry; demonstrating ability toward responsible, long-range planning; illustrating a disciplined approach toward sustainable growth and expansion; and embracing innovative uses of technology, resources and collaboration to make public transit more accessible.”
Among Thomas’ many accomplishments:
• The DART LRT system has doubled in length twice, to 90 miles.
• Capital projects, including the South Oak Cliff Blue Line Extension project (SOC-3), have consistently come in under budget and ahead of schedule. SOC-3 will open in October, and will add an additional three miles of rail between Ledbetter Station and the new UNT Dallas Station.
• The last Orange Line segment to the new DFW Airport Station opened in 2014, which connected the country’s longest LRT to one of the world’s busiest airports.
• Electric streetcars returned to downtown Dallas in 2015. In late August, the streetcar was extended into the popular Bishop Arts District of Oak Cliff.
• DART’s bus fleet has been converted to CNG, which not only is more cost-effective, but is better for the environment too.
“I am honored to be recognized for doing what I love,” Thomas said. “DART is an integral part of the community, and it’s incredibly fulfilling to see how we are moving people, connecting them with education, healthcare and career development. People need to have transportation choices. Therefore, we must continually seek opportunities to enhance connectivity and build an infrastructure that will support current and future riders for decades to come. You always have to ask yourself, what’s next?”
Thomas’ contributions “have helped North Texas become a national model for regional transportation collaboration,” said U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Tex.). Added U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Tex.), “The Federal Transit Administration regularly references DART’s projects for their innovation, service delivery and project management.”
Thomas will be honored at a Sept. 13 award ceremony and luncheon in Los Angeles.