VACAVILLE, Calif. (November 29, 2012) – The California Transit Association (CTA) honored Marin County Transit District (Marin Transit) as a 2012 recipient of the Transit Excellence Award for its seasonal Muir Woods Shuttle program. The Muir Woods Shuttle program is operated by Marin Transit in partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) and not only provides transportation for visitors to one of California’s most popular destinations, Muir Woods but relieves traffic congestion for the community and lessens the environmental impact from the thousands of daily visitors.
Muir Woods Shuttle has been operated under an agreement between Marin Transit and MV Transportation, Inc. since May 2012. The service currently consists of a dedicated fleet of ten clean diesel vehicles and MV employs 15 operators and an on-site supervisor to run the service. Marin County’s decision to add on-site supervision was a key factor in the success of this years’ service.
“MV Transportation has been a great partner to Marin Transit for the provision of our Muir Woods shuttle service,” said David Rzepinski general manager of Marin Transit. “The commitment made by the MV staff has really helped us build the service and make it a success.”
This state-wide Transit Excellence award is given to a small transit operator innovation, program or service which demonstrates innovative concepts, effective problem-solving techniques or promotes a positive image of transit in the community. Muir Woods Shuttle was nominated and received this honor for its increased service frequencies and ridership, which continues to exceed its own records year over year. In 2012, the service transported 56,000 riders, surpassing the prior year’s ridership record by nearly 10,000 trips.
“As a company born in the Bay Area, we know and love the Muir Woods. It is an honor for us to partner with Marin Transit on this project and for us to be a part of the special experience the Muir Woods offers to visitors, whether they are there for the first or hundredth time,” said John Siragusa, president of MV’s northwest operations.
Founded in San Francisco in 1975, MV Transportation has more than 100 contracts throughout the state of California. In addition to Muir Woods Shuttle the company also operates West Marin Stagecoach for Marin Transit.