What award did the Middlesex County Area Transit (MCAT) receive from the U.S. Department of Transportation?
The U.S. Department of Transportation has given the United We Ride Leadership Award to Middlesex County Area Transit (MCAT), recognizing the system for its integration of human service transportation with traditional bus and rail services. Middlesex County was one of just four counties and one state nationwide to be recognized as a model system, according to a press release issued by county Freeholder H. James Polos, chairman of the county’s Public Works and Transportation Committee. The United We Ride initiative came out of a 2004 Executive Order to create state Councils on Access and Mobility to better coordinate the use of 64 different federal funding sources from 11 federal departments. The councils also develop plans to implement better coordination of these funding sources and traditional transit at the local level. “This is an incredible achievement, especially if you consider that the county’s Transportation Department was formed just four years ago,” Polos said. “It proves wha
Middlesex County was one of just four counties and one state nationwide to be recognized as a model system. “This is an incredible achievement, especially if you consider that the County’s Transportation Department was formed just four years ago,” said Freeholder H. James Polos, chairman of the County’s Public Works and Transportation Committee. “It proves what we have long felt: You can marry the door-to-door service of a paratransit system with the scheduling and route planning of a commuter transit system to effectively serve residents.” The Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders created the Transportation Department in November 2004, brining under one roof the former Area Wide Transportation System (AWTS) and Central Vehicle Maintenance and Repair. AWTS, now Middlesex County Area Transit (MCAT), provides free, door-to-door transportation for disabled and senior citizens to doctors’ and other appointments. Soon after that, the County introduced the first of its highly successf
