County transport system gains national recognition
BY JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer

NEW BRUNSWICK - Middlesex County Area Transit (MCAT) has been named the 2007 Urban Community Transportation System of the Year by the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA).

The Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders established the Department of Transportation in November 2004 by combining the Central Vehicle Maintenance division with the county's paratransit services. The name was changed in January to "Middlesex County Area Transit" to better describe the service and a new blue-and-yellow color scheme was introduced for the fleet.

Three fixed-route shuttles have been added since 2005 to serve commuters, seniors and other residents in the southern part of the county, connecting them with workplaces, stores, senior centers, doctors' offices and other forms of mass transit.

"This is an incredible accomplishment for the county of Middlesex, especially when you factor in that we established the Department of Transportation just two-and-a-half years ago," said Freeholder H. James Polos, the chairman of the county Public Works and Transportation Committee. "I thank CTAA for recognizing our efforts and I applaud MCAT Director Steven Fittante and his staff for their hard work in providing safe, efficient and cost-effective transit services to the residents of Middlesex County,"

The Urgan Community Transportation award comes in addition to MCAT receiving the Outstanding System of the Year Award from the New Jersey Council on Special Transportation in September 2006.