In Los Angeles this week, public transportation professionals form all over the country have gathered for the annual meeting of the American Public Transportation Association. As part of the conference, APTA announced that one of their most noteworthy honors — Outstanding Public Transportation Board Member Award — was bestowed upon our own Tom Nolan, who has been the chairman of the SFMTA Board of Directors for 10 years. The full text of our press release is below.
Nolan's most public component of his role as Chairman is leading the bi-monthly SFMTA Board meetings. He is quick to offer support of employees, especially those who work directly with customers, and he's pushed the agency to do more to provide more equitable service to San Francisco. We could not be prouder.
One of the perks: Nolan, standing with Leonard Oats, presents the trophy to each year's Cable Car Bell Ringing World Champion. Photo taken July 7.
SFMTA Board Chairman Tom Nolan Receives APTA Award
Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2016
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) is pleased to announce today that Tom Nolan, the agency’s board chairman, was named this year’s recipient of the prestigious American Public Transit Association (APTA) Outstanding Public Transportation Board Member Award, which is the highest honor awarded to a transit board member in North America. It is presented annually to the board member who is judged to have made the greatest contribution to their local transit system and the industry in general.
“Over his decades of service, Tom Nolan’s stamp of leadership has been imprinted on almost every single transit project in San Francisco and the Bay Area,” said Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi. “His public service has ensured that all people and communities can safely, efficiently and affordably be transported from work, school and home.”
Chairman Tom Nolan joined the SFMTA Board of Directors in 2006. He also currently serves as the SFMTA’s representative on the Caltrain Joint Powers Board. Under Nolan’s leadership as a board member, the agency’s numerous accomplishments included:
- Free Muni for Seniors, Youth, and People with Disabilities. This program provides eligible low-to-moderate-income San Francisco residents free access to Muni when using a Clipper card.
- The initiation of fleet replacement for both buses and light rail vehicles, effectively increasing the reliability of our system
- The launch of new routes, including the E Embarcadero historic streetcar line on The Embarcadero and the 55 16th Street Route to UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay, to provide even more direct connections to riders.
- Presiding over the SFMTA’s first-ever $1 billion operating budget. This historic investment increased support staff, added to our bus fleet, and allowed for the implementation of street and pedestrian safety projects including upgrades in Visitacion Valley and on Market Street and Octavia Boulevard.
- Overseeing the $500 million general obligation bond, reflecting historic local investment to improve transit, safety, and maintenance of the transportation system
“Near the conclusion of my over 30-year tenure as a board member/commissioner on four different transportation agencies in the SF Bay Area, I am truly thrilled to receive this award from my national colleagues at APTA,” said Nolan. “I am proud of my service in this most important aspect of our common life, and the award will always be a treasured capstone of that time for me.”
Nolan served two full terms as a member of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and is a former member of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and the SamTrans Board prior to joining SFMTA. Shirley Harris, public board member of SamTrans, was also named APTA’s Outstanding Public Transportation Board Member.
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