COTA highlighted in transit magazine for best practices

The Commonwealth Office of Transit Authority was recently featured in Mass Transit magazine’s best practices section for professional development.

Mass Transit is the only magazine exclusively dedicated to public transportation in the United States. The publication focuses on public transportation leaders from around the country to showcase their best practices and give their firsthand accounts on addressing transportation needs for a given community. It provides industry professionals the information and advice they need for success.

COTA was highlighted in the magazine for its collaboration with the Department of Transportation Services of the City and County of Honolulu. The department serves the whole island of Oahu in Hawaii and operates The Bus, The Hand-Van, and the Honolulu Rail Transit.  

Jon Y. Nouchi, deputy director of the Department of Transportation Services, said that collaboration with other transit agencies allows a greater sharing of successes and learning from setbacks. 

“While content is always key in the conference setting, it is essential that transit agencies send forward-thinking individuals to experience the host cities they are staged in, to see what actually works on the street, and to validate new ideas ripe for implementation in their own spaces,” Nouchi noted.

The learning exchange through meeting other transit agencies from other cities around the country is “a two-way street.”

“Why should cities and agencies reinvent the proverbial wheel when collaboration can save everyone time and money, recognizing the value of best practices and lessons learned before proceeding down a project path? The city and county of Honolulu has recently collaborated with the Commonwealth Office of Transit Authority of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. While they are geographically closer to Asia than the United States, they are managed via the same Federal Transit Administration Region as Hawaii. Saipan is currently in the planning stages to bring much-needed fixed-route transit to their island. Looking at the similarities between our places, it is natural to share Honolulu’s over 100 years of public transit experience with Saipan. We plan to welcome their teams to Honolulu and travel to Saipan to conduct peer reviews. Again, this natural networking and sharing through travel presents so much value to both places,” he added. 

Alfreda P. Camacho, the special assistant for Transportation, emphasized that collaborations with partner transit agencies creates more innovative ways to effectively address transportation needs in the CNMI. 

“Collaborating with the Department of Transportation Services City and County of Honolulu-Hawaii with regards to the planning, development, and implementation of the fixed route system assures our community the dedication and commitment that COTA possesses in order to properly execute this system,” Camacho said.

She noted that continual discussions with similar agencies like Honolulu’s will lead to a better transportation system for the CNMI.

“Working through best practices with deputy director Nouchi and the commitment to the development of transportation professionals within COTA is this administration’s priority in order for our current demand response service and forthcoming fixed route service to succeed,” she added.

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres said that COTA is doing its best to better provide its existing services, while creating innovative ways to effectively bring a modernized transportation system to the CNMI. 

“COTA is doing everything it can to make sure it continues to serve its riders and partner agencies. [Camacho] and her team have shown a lot of growth and continue to be open-minded to new ideas and best practices so they can provide better services for everyone. Access to transportation is the one of the most important factors in an individual’s ability to escape poverty and seek out more economic opportunities like finding a job or attending a class. We will continue to make sure this vision of having a full-fledged transit system becomes a reality,” Torres said.

For more information on COTA’s article on Mass Transit, go to http://www.masstransitmag.com/article/12359184/best-practices-professional-development. (PR)