TARTA, ETA Transit Systems Honored With Metro Magazine’s Innovative Solutions Award

Efficiency upgrades to TARTA's communication system have caught the eye of a transit industry publication, as TARTA and ETA Transit Systems are among the recipients of the Innovative Solutions Award from Metro Magazine.

Honorees will be featured online at metro-magazine.com on Monday and Wednesday each week beginning August 11, as well as in the Fall 2025 issue of the magazine. Winners will also be honored at Metro’s Public Transit & Technology Exchange conference, which takes place September 22-24 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

TARTA’s work with ETA was recognized in the Operational Efficiency category. The project resulted in a clearer communication through a more manageable CAD/AVL (Computer-Aided Dispatch/Automatic Vehicle Location) system.

Specifically, it created the ability for closed, one-to-one conversation within the radio system, rather than TARTA’s dispatch team broadcasting to everyone. The project used API between the cloud platform and an onsite Motorola radio system while utilizing the Lucas County Radio system as its backbone.  

“We have an amazing team of transit professionals here at TARTA that are committed to delivering innovative and quality service to our customers, and this is just one more example of that,” said TARTA CEO Laura Koprowski. “In a short period of time, (TARTA Director of Information Technology) Lucas Boehm and his team have made so many upgrades including the CAD/AVL systems that have positive impacts to our customers and employees. They have completely transformed TARTA’s technological capabilities.

“Being as efficient as possible is so important for any transit agency, and we are thrilled to be recognized for this alongside our project partner ETA Transit Systems.”

Metro Magazine – which has served the bus, rail, public transportation and motorcoach industries for more than a century – has honored Innovative Solutions Award winners for 11 years. The awards are designed to recognize projects that replace outdated systems to improve efficiency and create more mobility options for passengers.

Other honorees for 2025 include:

• TransLink/Giro of Vancouver Canada (Operational Efficiency)
• Everett Transit/Complete Coach Works of Washington state (Sustainability)
• TriMet/Connectpoint of Portland, Oregon (Technology)
• Sportworks with several agencies (Mobility)
• MetroLink Tulsa and Philadelphia’s SEPTA (Paratransit)
• California’s Auburn Transit, Texas’ Gulf Coast Transit District and Spare (Technology/On-Demand Transportation)
• Oakland’s Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority/Xentrans (Rail)
• Boston’s Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority/AlphaRoute (Paratransit)