FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Recognition of Maryland Transit Administration Top Performers Caps Week Devoted to Professionals Who Keep Maryland Moving
BALTIMORE, MD (March 18, 2025) – Maryland Department of Transportation Assistant Secretary Jawauna Greene and Transit Administrator Holly Arnold celebrated National Transit Employee Appreciation Day by visiting the agency’s Northwest Bus Division. Today’s recognition event culminated the week-long celebration of transit workers and their contributions to providing safe, efficient and reliable transit service to the Baltimore region.
“Communities appreciate the dedication and hard work of public transit workers. With strong public transit systems, access to jobs goes up, highway congestion goes down, and we can all breathe a little easier,” Assistant Secretary Greene said. “Thank you Maryland Transit employees for making it all possible.”
The Maryland Transit Administration’s Transit Employee Appreciation Week was inspired by Bus Operator Appreciation Day, first celebrated in various regions nationwide more than a decade ago. It is typically celebrated annually on March 18 to commemorate the launch day of the first bus line in 1662 in Paris.
“Public transit is critical to the success of our region and this our opportunity to show appreciation for the women and men who keep MTA moving,” Arnold said. “Our transit employees are some of the best in the industry and I encourage everyone to join me in expressing our gratitude for them.”
The Maryland Transit Administration recognized Roy McGilvalry of the Kirk Bus Division as Bus Operator Superstar of the Year and the Rail Operator Superstar of the Year is Sonya Parsons of Light Rail. The agency’s Northwest Bus Division has been honored as the Bus Division of the Year based on overall performance for both operations and maintenance.
Past winners of the annual Superstar of the Year award typically have accrued many years of service. It is noteworthy that Mr. McGilvary and Ms. Parsons are early in their careers with the agency, with two and three years of service respectively. Their success reflects the intensive recruitment efforts of the past several years, and the high quality of those recruits and their training.
Transit Employee Appreciation Week is also an ideal time to highlight an innovative new feature on the popular Transit app through which riders can thank their vehicle operator. Riders utilizing the GO feature in the Transit app are asked a few questions during their ride. Toward the end of their GO trip, they’re given an option to thank their operator by selecting from a pre-determined message list. Messages such as “Thanks for the ride" or "Much appreciated," are sent to the operator's on-board terminal where other operational messages go. So now it's easier than ever to give compliments and kudos to the Maryland Transit Administration bus operators who deliver the service that gets you to where you need to be. The agency continues to focus on recruiting bus and rail operators in addition to mechanics and for other positions, all of which come with competitive pay and benefits. Anyone interested in joining the MTA team can apply by visiting mta.maryland.gov/join.
The Maryland Transit Administration is one of the largest multi-modal transit systems in the United States, and operates Local Bus, Commuter Bus, Light Rail, Metro Subway, MARC Train Service and a comprehensive Mobility paratransit system. The goal of the Maryland Transit Administration is to provide safe, efficient, reliable transit across Maryland with world-class customer service. To learn more, visit mta.maryland.gov, check us out on Facebook at facebook.com/mtamaryland and follow us on X @mtamaryland.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Courtney Mims
Office: 410-767-8367
Cell: 667-392-0157
cmims@mdot.maryland.gov
Paul Shepard
Office: 410-767-3935
Cell: 443-622-4181
pshepard@mdot.maryland.gov
