APTA Announces Public Transit Industry’s Best Marketing, Communications, and Customer Experience Work in First Place Round of the AdWheel Awards
Savannah, GA (February 26, 2026) – The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) honored the First Place winners of its 2026 AdWheel Awards at this week’s APTA Marketing, Communications & Customer Experience Workshop Savannah, GA. The awards recognize APTA member public transportation systems and business members for outstanding marketing, communications, and CX efforts that contributed to strategic organizational goals.
“Congratulations to the 50 organizations receiving First Place honors in the 2026 AdWheel Awards. They represent the very best in our industry — using strategic communications and compelling storytelling to show how public transportation is essential in strengthening our economy and improving the daily lives of people across North America,” said APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas.
350 entries were evaluated by more than 100 industry experts and First Place awards were presented in three categories: workforce development, campaigns to increase ridership or sales, and other educational efforts. Honors were awarded in five groups, based on size and type of transit organization.
Top First Place winners will face a final round of judging to determine 15 Grand Awards, which will be presented at APTA TRANSform & EXPO, October 4-7, 2026, in Chicago, IL.
Photos of the winners on-stage at the APTA MCX Workshop can be found here. The First Place winners honored this week are listed below.
| Organization Name | Group |
| Best Print Media for Workforce Development | |
| Ben Franklin Transit, Richland, WA | 2 |
| AC Transit, Oakland, CA | 3 |
| Best Electronic Media for Workforce Development | |
| Centro, Syracuse, NY | 2 |
| Broward County Transit, Plantation, FL | 3 |
| Greater Cleveland RTA, Cleveland, OH | 3 |
| Best Special Event for Workforce Development | |
| Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority, Toledo, OH | 1 |
| Central Ohio Transit Authority, Columbus, OH | 2 |
| Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Washington, DC | 4 |
| Siemens Mobility, Sacramento, CA | 5 |
| Best Social Media for Workforce Development | |
| Central Ohio Transit Authority, Columbus, OH | 2 |
| AC Transit, Oakland, CA | 3 |
| Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Los Angeles, CA | 4 |
| ConnX, Inc., Plainsboro, NJ | 5 |
| Best Comprehensive Campaign for Workforce Development | |
| Denton County Transportation Authority, Lewisville, TX | 1 |
| Riverside Transit Agency, Riverside, CA | 2 |
| CapMetro, Austin, TX | 3 |
| Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Boston, MA | 4 |
| Latinos in Transit, Covina, CA | 5 |
| Best Print Media to Increase Ridership or Sales | |
| Minnesota Valley Transit Authority, Burnsville, MN | 1 |
| Corpus Christi RTA, Corpus Christi, TX | 2 |
| Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, San Jose, CA | 3 |
| Metropolitan Transit System, San Diego, CA | 4 |
| Siemens Mobility, Sacramento, CA | 5 |
| Best Electronic Media to Increase Ridership or Sales | |
| City of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, CA | 1 |
| OMNITRANS, San Bernardino, CA | 2 |
| City and County of Honolulu DOT, Honolulu, HI | 3 |
| Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Boston, MA | 4 |
| GILLIG LLC, Livermore, CA | 5 |
| Best Special Event to Increase Ridership | |
| RTA of Southeast Michigan, Detroit, MI | 1 |
| Metrolink, Los Angeles, CA | 2 |
| Valley Metro, Phoenix, AZ | 3 |
| Regional Transportation District, Denver, CO | 4 |
| Best Social Media to Increase Ridership | |
| Minnesota Valley Transit Authority, Burnsville, MN | 1 |
| SamTrans, San Carlos, CA | 2 |
| Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, San Jose, CA | 3 |
| Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Los Angeles, CA | 4 |
| Best Comprehensive Campaigns to Increase Ridership or Sales | |
| Torrance Transit System, Torrance, CA | 1 |
| Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority, Ann Arbor, MI | 2 |
| Sound Transit, Seattle, WA | 3 |
| King County Metro, Seattle, WA | 4 |
| TransLink, New Westminster, BC | 4 |
| Complete Coach Works, Riverside, CA | 5 |
| Best Educational Print Media | |
| Chattanooga Area RTA, Chattanooga, TN | 1 |
| Corpus Christi RTA, Corpus Christi, TX | 2 |
| CTtransit, Hartford, CT | 3 |
| Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Boston, MA | 4 |
| ConnX, Inc., Plainsboro, NJ | 5 |
| Best Educational Electronic Media | |
| Butler County RTA, Hamilton, OH | 1 |
| Community Transit, Everett, WA | 2 |
| Orange County Transportation Authority, Orange, CA | 3 |
| TransLink, New Westminster, BC | 4 |
| Canadian Urban Transit Association, Toronto, ON | 5 |
| Best Educational Special Event | |
| Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority, Toledo, OH | 1 |
| Community Transit, Everett, WA | 2 |
| Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, San Jose, CA | 3 |
| Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Los Angeles, CA | 4 |
| Modaxo/ Trapeze, Mississauga, ON | 5 |
| Best Educational Social Media | |
| Rio Metro, Albuquerque, NM | 1 |
| RTC of Washoe County, Reno, NV | 2 |
| Keolis, operator of MBTA Commuter Rail, Boston, MA | 3 |
| Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Washington, DC | 4 |
| GILLIG LLC, Livermore, CA | 5 |
| Best Educational Comprehensive Campaign | |
| GoTriangle, Durham, NC | 1 |
| Metrolink, Los Angeles, CA | 2 |
| Charlotte Area Transit System, Charlotte, NC | 3 |
| Metropolitan Transportation Authority, NY | 4 |
| TransLink, New Westminster, BC | 4 |
| City of Seattle DOT, Seattle, WA | 5 |
| Washington State Transit Association, Olympia, WA | 5 |
Group 1 (small): Less than three million annual riders; Group 2 (medium): 3-15 million annual riders; Group 3 (large): 15-50 million annual riders; Group 4 (mega): More than 50 million annual riders; and Group 5: Businesses and non-service operating organizations (Based on 2024 ridership data)