On Friday July 25, the Mayors Advisory Committee for Improved Accessibility (MACIA) celebrated the anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The celebration was held at the Capitol in the archives room. The speaker for the event was Graham Sisson the State ADA Coordinator. He spoke about the history and impact of ADA. He also spoke about how much progress has been made in the 26 years since his accident. Plus, he read the proclamation on behalf of Governor Bob Riley and his office. Jeff Downs, executive assistant to Mayor Bobby Bright, read the city of Montgomery’s proclamation on behalf of the mayor’s office. Lastly, Judge Reese McKinney spoke about Voter Accessibility, which makes it easier for persons with disabilities to cast their ballot’s privately and independently. Overall, the ADA celebration went very well!

Friday, June 27, Montgomery Area Transit System participated with Montgomery AIDS Outreach for their National HIV Testing Day-Awareness Month at Oak Park. MATS had an information booth set up (in the shadeJ) that featured our route brochures. We also gave out pens and candy to the kids and kids at heart!  The event went well, by mid-morning a good sized crowd had formed. Games and a blow-up romper ride were provided for the kids! Lunch was provided for all the participants, which included hot dogs, chips and cookies! In addition to MATS, All Kids and Family Guidance were among the many service agencies that participated. All in all it was a great day of fun in the park!

 

Montgomery Area Transit System had a special group of visitors on Thursday, June 12, 2008. A group of students from Alabama State University’s National Summer Transportation Institute summer program came and toured our facilities.  In addition to the tour the kids got to hear first hand about the different jobs here at MATS.

• Kelvin Miller spoke about his job duties as General Manager as well as the past, present and future of MATS.
• Sam Jackson gave a first hand account on the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He also spoke about being one of the first African American drivers, here in Montgomery.
• Victoria Belton spoke about her role as Marketing Director and the community outreach that MATS participates in. She also had a trivia game with prizes at the end.
• Michael Roberts spoke about our website and security system. He also talked about intelligent transportation systems.
• Ernest Jacksongave them a tour of the 30-foot bus, the Paratransit bus and the 1956 Cleveland Avenue bus. He also spoke about drug and alcohol safety
• Robyn Rhymes wrapped up the presentations with our about emergency management and mutual aid participation.

The students really enjoyed themselves and according to them they learned a lot about the different aspects of the transit system. The students also got to ride around the lot in the trolley!

 

On Tuesday, April 29, 2008 The Student Outreach Program completed the 2007-2008 school year. This year’s program was a success! The bus visited 14 local elementary schools this year. In addition to the elementary schools, the bus also visited          Alabama State University and the Xinos and Kudos Saturday meeting.

The students really enjoyed having the bus come out to their schools. They were able to learn about Rosa Parks and the bus boycott, while sitting in a replica of the 1956 Cleveland Avenue Bus!

The program will continue next year, beginning in September. If you would like to schedule the Bus to come to your elementary school, please contact Victoria Belton at 334-240-4679 or vbelton@montgomerytransit.com