Dec.

28, 2012
Stuff-A-Bus Breaks Record New Year's Wish for Transportation Rideshare Week Attracts 15,000 Participants

Free OCTA Bus Rides Help Promote Safe Celebrations

OCTA will be offering passengers free bus rides on New Years Eve to help ensure people ring in 2013 safely. Free rides on OCTA fixed-route buses will run from 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31, 2012 to 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013. In an outreach effort to highlight the 11th year of free service for the Orange County community, OCTA has placed ads in all buses in both English and Spanish, in addition to running print ads in newspapers including the Orange County Register, Excelsior, Chinese World News and Nguoi Viet. Last year, there were more than 16,000 free New Years Eve boardings and more than 120,000 boardings since the program began in 2002.

OCTA will be offering free bus rides on New Year's Eve to help Orange County residents travel safely as they celebrate.

The agency also has been working to distribute information to other organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to post on their websites and share with members. For more information on New Year's Eve service and to check bus routes and schedules visit OCTA's website at www.octa.net. To usher in the New Year, we asked industry leaders for their thoughts, wishes and predictions about transportation in 2013.

Record-Breaking Donations Stuff the Holidays with Cheer

Orange County children helped stuff 14 OCTA buses with donated toys that broke last year's Stuff-A-Bus record.

With the help of Orange County firefighters, the Anaheim Ducks hockey team, ABC 7 and OCTA staff, community members donated a record amount of toys at this years Stuff-A-Bus toy drive. New, unwrapped toys and sporting equipment filled 14 OCTA buses, breaking last years record of nine buses.

All donations benefit the Spark of Love toy drive, a program that has collected more than 7 million toys for children over the past 20 years.

American Diabetes Association Honors OCTA for Tour De CureFundraiser

The American Diabetes Association honored OCTA with its Share Awardfor the agencys contributions in raising funds and awareness for a cure. OCTA Director Al Murray accepted the award on behalf of the agency for its Surf to Summit Tour De Cure,a bicycle ride that raises money to fight diabetes. In addition to sponsoring and promoting this years event, a team of OCTA employees also joined in to cycle for a cure and raised more than $3,000 for the American Diabetes Association. OCTA Vanpool and Bike Programs Section Manager Sandy Boyle and Marketing Specialist Assistant Wes Parcel joined Murray on Dec. 17 to accept the award.
OCTA's Sandy Boyle, Director Al Murray and Wes Parcel share the spotlight with American Diabetes Association's "Share Award" for OCTA's fundraising efforts.

Rideshare Team Celebrates Successful Campaign With 15,000 Participants During Rideshare Week inO.C.

The OCTA Rideshare Group shared the results of Rideshare Week with Employee Transportation Coordinators at an event on Dec. 20. The event also was an opportunity to show appreciation for the Employee Transportation Coordinators and their effort to encourage the public to share the rideduring Rideshare Week, which took place in October. This year's Rideshare Week had the second-highest level of participation in the past six years with more than 15,000 participants and a savings of 564,156 commuter miles. The effort also resulted in 15 new vanpools.

Dec. 14 & Dec. 16 The Capistrano Dispatch, Aliso Viejo Patch and Orange County Register posted articles about the Metrolink Holiday Toy Express. Dec. 15 to Dec. 18 The Cerritos-Artesia Patch, OC Breeze and Los Alamitos-Seal Beach Patch announced construction closures along portions of the West County Connectors Project. Dec. 15 The Orange County Register published an article about San Clementes plans to synchronize signals at 21 intersections. The project will be funded in part by an OCTA grant. Dec. 17 The Voice of OC published an interview with OCTA CEO Will Kempton who is scheduled to retire in February. Dec. 17 The Free News Press reported on a planned fixed-guideway system project between Santa Ana and Garden Grove. Dec. 19 The Orange County Register published an alert about OCTAs Dec. 21 Stuff-A-Bus event at the HondaCenterinAnaheim. Dec. 20 The Orange County Register wrote an article about an audit review of OCTAs employment and compensation practices. Dec. 21 & Dec. 22 ABC 7 and the Orange County Register published articles about record-breaking donations received at the Anaheim Stuff-A-Bus event benefiting the Spark of Love toy drive. Dec. 24 The OC Breeze alerted motorists of

construction closures along portions of the West County Connectors project. Dec. 24 - The Orange County Register posted an article about three roadway improvements throughout Lake Forest, which are partially funded by OCTA.
With the help of Orange County residents, firefighters, the Anaheim Ducks, ABC 7 and OCTA staff, the Stuff-A-Bus event broke records with 14 buses filled with donations.

Dec. 26 The Laguna Niguel-Dana Point Patch and OC Breeze penned an announcement about OCTA offering free bus rides between 6 p.m. on New Years Eve, Dec. 31 and 2:30 a.m. on New Years Day, Jan. 1.

For the latest media news, follow Joel Zlotnik, media relations manager, on Twitter.

For the latest in transportation issues and programs in Southern California, follow OCTA on Twitter. Become a fan of OCTA on Facebook to keep connected and learn more about how OCTA is keeping Orange County moving. Stay updated on transportation promotions, events and more on OCTA's YouTube channel.