Metro News Release

For immediate release: August 13, 2003

News From Metro: Metro’s Chief Executive Officer Richard A. White marks 7th anniversary

Metro Chief Executive Officer Richard A. White is marking his seventh anniversary at the helm of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) this week. This anniversary places Mr. White among the nation’s top transit agency leaders. Because of his strength of service, only Jackson Graham (1967-1976) and Carmen Turner (1983-1990) have served longer terms as Metro’s head administrator.

Under Mr. White’s leadership, Metro has developed a well-deserved reputation as one of the leading transit agencies in the world. Despite numerous challenges in the past seven years, and with many more to come, Mr. White is determined to do his part to sustain a world-class public transportation system and engineering marvel that is a trademark of the national capital area. A continuing daily challenge is the safety and security of the transit system. Metro has been hailed as a "national security asset" as a direct result of its continued performance on that fateful day of September 11, 2001, when Metrorail and Metrobus helped evacuate the nation’s capital at a crucial time of uncertainty as the Pentagon, New York City, and our nation became the new battle ground.

"Metro has not rested on its laurels since that tragic day," said Mr. White. "We had begun to implement goals and strategies well before September 11, 2001, initiatives which have made our safe transit system even safer. For example, we had begun to look at a chemical detection system well before the terrorist acts. As a result of the Tokyo subway sarin gas attack, we knew that we had to begin thinking the unthinkable and get prepared.

"In the last two years, we have all gone the extra mile and beyond to increase the safety and security of our Metro system. With our expanded Office of System Safety and Risk Protection, the continued dedicated efforts of our Metro Transit Police Department, and the hard work of all of our front line operating personnel, we are a transit system that has become a national model for safety and security."While Mr. White has led the Metro system to new heights in a very challenging environment, he gives a great deal of credit to the 10,000 employees who make up what local residents commonly call "Metro." "The bottom line is that we have some of the best employees in the world right here at Metro," Mr. White noted. "If not for their hard work and day-in, day-out dedication to providing the best possible transportation service, we could not have enjoyed the successes we have experienced. All of the success Metro has experienced during my tenure is due to our outstanding employees." Under Mr. White, Metro’s top accomplishments over the past seven years include the following milestones: · Ridership has increased on Metrorail 24 percent and on Metrobus 25 percent in the last seven years. Metro has lead the nation in both bus and rail ridership growth during recent years. In the last two years, there have been 25 days where Metrorail has carried more than 700,000 customers. · On September 11, 2001, not only did Metro flawlessly run back-to-back rush hours on that tragic day, but over the past two years, Mr. White has aggressively taken the necessary steps to maintain Metro’s reputation as one of the safest transit systems in the United States. Following September 11, 2001, the White House and the United States Congress provided $49 million in emergency funding for safety and security enhancements to the Metro system.· Mr. White oversaw the successful completion of the last 13.5 miles of the "Fast Track Program" of the regionally adopted 103-mile Metrorail system. Under this program, the rail system was completed 10 months ahead of schedule and $286 million under budget. In addition, he has overseen a continuation of Metro’s expansion program and the extension of the Blue Line to Largo in Maryland; the New York Avenue in-fill station on the Red Line in the District of Columbia; and the preliminary engineering phase of the Tysons/Dulles Loudoun County rail extension project. · Over the last six years, Metro operated with surpluses totaling $79 million, which was returned to the local jurisdictions that fund Metro. · The Metrobus system has vastly improved and has been placed at the core of the regional transportation system, thanks to the invaluable input from the Regional Mobility Panel. The Metrobus fare system was greatly simplified, a One-Day Bus Pass was introduced, and the bus transfer, now free, was made usable in any direction within a two-hour period. · Nearly $900 million has been invested in a rail car program to purchase 192 new rail cars currently being delivered, rehabilitate 364 rail cars, and to purchase an additional 62 new rail cars.· More than 723 buses have been purchased in the past five years including compressed natural gas buses, low-floor buses, articulated buses, and shorter buses for use on older neighborhood streets. Half of the Metrobus fleet has been renewed in the past five years, reducing the average age of the fleet from 10.18 years to 8.56 years since 2001.· The development of new technology has allowed Metro to achieve heightened standards of customer service in the following areas: The SmarTrip card, a durable reusable plastic farecard which allows customers to access Metrorail and parking lots without the need to through-put a paper farecard was implemented. Towards the end of this year, Metro will implement the SmarTrip card on the Metrobus system. It has been tested on Metrobuses since November 2002. SmartBenefits, which uses SmarTrip to automatically download the monthly transit benefit called Metrochek by participating employers for their employees, was introduced to reduce and simplify the need for administrative paperwork. The Passenger Information Display System (PIDS), which tells customers which train is coming next, when the next train is coming, the one after that, and the color of the line on those platforms that are serviced by more than one line, was tested and installed inside all Metrorail stations. Personalized e-mails and service alerts were offered to allow customers to receive general information about the system as well as information on service disruptions. These system alerts allow customers visiting Metro’s web site at www.metroopensdoors.com, to find out immediately if there is a service disruption or to receive these alerts on their pagers, cell phones, computers, and PDA-type devices. The internet-based and voice-activated Ride Guide were implemented to provide easy access for customers to plan their Metrobus or Metrorail (or both) on line or by phone. · Mr. White initiated a "Core Capacity Study" and "Regional Bus Study" to explore the efficiency and effectiveness of Metrorail and Metrobus services, and document access and expansion approaches to double ridership by 2025.· In October 2002, the Board of Directors adopted a Strategic Plan to guide the Authority in the future.· In November 2002, the Board of Directors adopted a comprehensive 10-year Capital Improvement Program, totaling $12.2 billion, reflecting Metro’s prioritized capital investments needs.· Mr. White started the process of changing Metro’s corporate culture to make it more flexible, collaborative, and empowering, with the focus on employee training and empowerment.· Under Mr. White’s leadership, Metro launched an initiative to promote "transit-oriented development," by adding it to Metro’s existing joint development goals, and strengthening Metro’s joint development program to ensure greater community input and greater compatibility with surrounding properties.· As a result of enhancements in customer service and on-time performance, Metro’s paratransit service MetroAccess, carried a record 954,000 customer trips in fiscal year 2003. In the last two years, on-time performance for MetroAccess has met or achieved its goals, and there has been a reduction in the number of complaints. In addition to these achievements, Mr. White is a Board member for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Transportation Planning Board; a Board member for the American Public Transportation Association (APTA); the Secretary/Treasurer for APTA; and Chairman of the National Security Task Force. Mr. White was recently nominated as First Vice Chair for APTA. Mr. White has also received several distinguished awards including APTA’s Outstanding Transit System Award in 1997, a recipient of the Women In Transit Achievement Award in 1999, and the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) leadership award from the D.C. Metropolitan Chapter in 2002. In July 2003, Mr. White received an award from the U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta for exemplary service on September 11, 2001.Mr. White has set the course for Metro into the 21st century. Ridership is expected to double by the year 2025. However, with financial issues looming for Metro over the next few years, and the need to secure funding to preserve the transit system and to purchase additional rail cars and buses, Mr. White is prepared to ensure that Metrorail and Metrobus customers continue to receive the exemplary service they have come to expect on a daily basis. "Two years ago, the General Accounting Office (GAO) called Metro ’a victim of its own success,’and pointed to the ’growing pains’ of increased ridership and ’aging pains’ of a system needing to modernize and replace key assets. Despite a recent 25 percent growth in ridership, our Board and staff are concerned that severe overcrowding and capital funding deferrals will drive people away from using Metro. If this occurs, thousands of commuters may be forced back onto the region’s already clogged, congested roadways and the severe air pollution will get even worse -- potentially costing the region millions of federal dollars for transit and transportation improvements. "Our Board of Directors and staff are committed to make the best use of our existing assets, operate efficiently and cost-effectively, and reduce expenses whenever possible through an ongoing review of our budgets. "However, the financial issues that are occurring need to be addressed. A failure to act will lead to a significant deterioration of the Metro system, a reduction in service reliability, and increased overcrowding. These conditions could drive people away from Metro and back onto our highways and roadways that are not capable of handling today’s demands. "While it is certainly important to take note of our collective successes and even celebrate them, we have to move forward in maintaining our current system, a nearly $10 billion investment by this region that would cost $24 billion today-- at the high standards our customers have come to expect. At the same time, we must continue to move forward to purchase additional buses, rail cars, implement eight-car trains, and expand the system for our current customers and for a new generation of customers in the future," he concluded.

News release issued on August 13, 2003.