Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (METRO) CEO Alex Clifford is the 2017 Transit Professional of the Year as recognized by the California Transit Association (CTA) Small Operators. The Award honors an outstanding individual that has provided strong leadership and vision. Mr. Clifford joins the list of distinguished California transit leaders who have received this annual award.
Mr. Clifford received praises by the CTA for his leadership role at METRO in helping the agency resolve a $6 million fiscal structural deficit. The process involved numerous Board workshops and an extensive public outreach process that helped the METRO Board achieve a more stable financial footing.
“I am humbled by this award from my peers and public transit colleagues and want to thank the METRO Board for their leadership; METRO’s management and employees for their dedication and commitment; and the public and community stakeholders’ for their participation in the process that resulted in a successful outcome,” said Alex Clifford, METRO’s CEO. “There is much work yet ahead as METRO works to identify the capital funding needed to replace 62 high-mileage buses. Together, we have faced METRO’s financial struggles head on. Today we have a solid foundation to continue our efforts to stabilize METRO service and work toward a brighter future.”
The Transit Professional of the Year Award was presented on November 9, 2017 at the Small Operators Program and Awards Breakfast during CTA’s 52nd Annual Fall Conference held in Riverside California, which brings together more than 700 public transit professionals from all over the state.
Mr. Clifford joined METRO in 2014. Prior experience includes serving as the CEO of Chicago Metra, one of the nation’s largest commuter rail agencies; General Manager of bus service in southeast Los Angeles with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA); and a City Councilman in Riverside California for eight years.
Santa Cruz METRO provides fixed-route and Highway 17 commuter service to Santa Cruz County, transporting about 5.5 million passenger trips a year and also provides paratransit service to Santa Cruz County with its ParaCruz service, providing about 86,000 trips per year. METRO’s operating budget in FY18 is $48 million.
Today it operates 98 buses on more than 30 fixed routes and serves the cities of Santa Cruz, Capitola, Watsonville, and Scotts Valley, as well as the unincorporated areas of Aptos, Soquel, Live Oak, Bonny Doon, Davenport, and the San Lorenzo Valley in the Santa Cruz Mountains. For more visit www.scmtd.com