John Catoe, former head of Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus, has elevated his status in the transportation world.
Catoe, now deputy CEO of the Los Angeles Country Metropolitan Transportation Authority, has joined the governing board of WestStart-CALSTART, further expanding the scope of North America’s leading advanced transportation organization.
In addition to operating the nation’s largest natural-gas bus fleet, LACMTA also is known as a national leader in terms of the development of Bus Rapid Transit systems. BRT is viewed as a cost-effective means of providing high-volume transit service in a cost-effective manner. The LACMTA is the nation’s third largest transit district and serves as transportation planner and coordinator, designer, builder and operator for a population of more than 9.6 million people in the region with the nation’s worst air quality.
“Making transportation options cleaner — more efficient — and more of a total solution for the residents of our region is the LACMTA’s commitment,” said Catoe. “Our goal and our charter is better mobility across the spectrum. Whether it’s in improved drive systems for our buses or enhanced services for our riders, such as Metro Rapid, we see tremendous synergy and value in linking with WestStart-CAL- START and its innovative programs and partners in these areas.”
Mr. Catoe has 22 years of public-transit experience. He belongs to the American Public Transportation Association, the American Society for Public Administration and is vice chair of the California Transit Association.
“John Catoe is a transit industry leader and will be right at home on a board made up of advanced transportation innovation leaders,” noted John Boesel, president & CEO of WestStart-CALSTART. “Given that we are headquartered in Pasadena, it makes a tremendous amount of sense that we partner with the LACMTA given its leadership in BRT and alternative-fueled buses.”
WestStart-CALSTART currently serves a key advisory role to the Federal Transit Administration on BRT issues and is actively involved in helping companies develop and deploy clean and efficient drive systems for transit and other heavy-duty vehicles. It operates the Hybrid Truck Users Forum in a partnership with the U.S. Army’s National Automotive Center, and sponsors a major conference on clean, heavy-duty vehicles each spring — the next one Feb. 25-27 in Rancho Mirage, Calif. WestStart-CALSTART is also a leader in helping organize and launch “Clean Mobility Centers,” transit-linked locations that provide commuters with additional options such as bikes, electric scooters and car sharing.
WestStart-CALSTART is a fuel-neutral, participant-supported organization of approximately 115 organizations, dedicated to expanding and supporting a high-tech transportation industry that cleans the air, creates jobs and improves energy efficiency.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 12, 2004. Read the original PDF.