TheRide and getDowntown Program Win ACT Excellence Award

TheRide and getDowntown Program Win ACT Excellence Award

Lilliane Webb (middle) accepted the award on behalf of TheRide/getDowntown program. She is pictured with: Thom Cerny, ACT Treasurer (left) and David Stauss, ACT Executive Director (right)

Press Release
For Immediate Release
November 19, 2024
Contact
Jeffrey Pfeifer
Manager of Public Affairs and Community Engagement
734-794-1870
JAPfeifer@TheRide.org

ANN ARBOR, MI -- The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (TheRide) along with the getDowntown Program, is pleased to announce that the organization recently won an Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT) award for Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Excellence. TheRide won the Excellence award for Transportation Provider, which was presented at the recent 2024 TDM Forum in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The TDM Excellence awards are presented on an annual basis and recognize industry-leading work that improves mobility and increases sustainability in transportation. Five recipients were awarded this year and TheRide was the only recipient for the Transportation Provider category.

“This year’s TDM Excellence Award winners are some of the best and brightest in the industry,” said David McMaster, President of the Association for Commuter Transportation. “Each is a prime example of how TDM can and does expand access to real transportation options. These awardees continue to go above and beyond for all they serve and set a very high bar for excellence in the field.”

Transportation Demand Management is the use of strategies to inform and encourage people to maximize the efficiency of our transportation systems; leading to improved mobility, reduced congestion, and lower carbon emissions. TheRide and the getDowntown program have supported TDM in the greater Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti area for the last 25 years. In 1999, TheRide, the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, the City of Ann Arbor, and the (then) Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce partnered to form the getDowntown program.

“I’m proud of the work that the getDowntown program has done to increase use of TheRide with downtown Ann Arbor businesses and their employees,” Lilliane Webb, getDowntown Director said. “ACT’s recognition of our program will help more communities learn about the getDowntown program model of supporting downtown businesses and their employees.”

Other TDM services from TheRide - including for students, carpoolers, and special events- can be found on TheRide.org/services.