
It’s Official: WMATA Is 2025’s Outstanding Public Transportation System
August 7, 2025
It’s like Oscar night for civil engineers – the APTA Awards.
Each year the American Public Transportation Association honors organizations that demonstrate vision, leadership, and commitment to public transportation; this year our partners at Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority claimed honors for Outstanding Public Transportation System, its most prestigious recognition.
In other words, Metro just won Best Picture!

You may not have heard of APTA before unless you’re a transit geek, but its member agencies serve 90% of the public transportation riders in the U.S. across every modality from buses and subways to paratransit and even watercraft (SOURCE: APTA). This award is a big deal – and congratulations are in order for everyone at WMATA who made it possible.
In addition to taking the top prize among agencies with over 50 million annual passenger trips, WMATA also won an award for Outstanding Partnership in Public Transportation for its work with Kimley-Horn and Foursquare Integrated Transportation Planning on the Better Bus initiative, the first major overhaul of Metrobus routes in 50 years.

By revamping its entire bus network, Metro hopes to enhance frequency, consistency, access, and ease of understanding, all while using existing resources. The process was deeply informed by public needs, wants, and concerns collected through over 45,000 interactions with customers and community members across six months (SOURCE: WMATA).
WMATA also won a Gold-tier Rail Security Award, an award that “celebrates the innovation and dedication of public transit agencies and their employees who work daily to protect their passengers, colleagues and communities they serve,” according to APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas. Awards are based on effectiveness, benefit level, innovation, and transferability.

We’re extremely proud of our partners at WMATA, who just enhanced the rider experience again by implementing contactless payments via Tap. Ride. Go. In fact, we’re so proud, we’ve just extended our partnership for another ten years so that together we can build on our history of driving innovation, creating new revenue streams, and providing expanded media opportunities.
Your brand can be a part of the award-winning experience that is commuting in Washington, D.C. Contact OUTFRONT today.
Author: Jay Fenster, Marketing Manager @ OUTFRONT
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