Mass Transit magazine features agency profiles, industry trends, management tips and new product information.
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36 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 Asif Kurji Senior Transit Planner, Strategic Planning Group Calgary Transit Omari June Director, Office of MetroAccess Service Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority ASIF KURJI began at the city of Cal- gary in the trafc department prior to joining Cal - gary Transit in 2008 as a transit planner. As a senior transit planner with the strategic transit planning department, he helps lead the implementation of the RouteAhead plan, Calgary Transit's 30-year strategic direction. During his time as a tran- sit planner he promoted, opti- mized and planned short- and long-term transit service for thousands of customers each year. Tis diverse range of proj- ects allowed him to utilize skills to expand his knowledge of the transit industry to better serve transit users in his current role. As a senior transit planner, Kurji is responsible for liaising with transportation planning, local area planning and implementation, and ofce of land servicing and housing business units as well as liaising with the Calgary Regional Partnership and neighboring municipalities as they begin to implement/expand their own public transit systems integrated with Calgary Transit. He is currently lead- ing the Late Night Transit Feasibility Project and the NW HUB Transit Enhancement project, which is looking into current and future transit service, in- cluding new transit technologies in Calgary's second largest employment center outside of downtown. His passion for transit has been exemplifed through his involvement in many broad projects at Calgary Transit. He consistently provides pro- fessional transit input in various projects, including the long- range city of Calgary forecast model using the Calgary Trans - portation Plan and RouteAhead scenarios, and coordinating the high level concept plan for the future south LRT line storage and maintenance facility. In November of 2013, Kur- ji, along with two colleagues, were recipients of the Canadi- an Urban Transit Association's (CUTA) Individual Leadership Award in Excellence, awarded to recognize a sin- gle major contribution which has resulted in the betterment of a public transit initiative on behalf of their organizations. Te honor was awarded for their planning, organization and implementation of the 2013 CUTA Leading the Way Youth Summit on Sustainable Transportation. www.MassTransitmag.com/11617562 OMARI JUNE came to the Washing- ton Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) in 2007 as a manager trainee and just fve years later he has taken the helm of the fourth largest paratransit service in the country. Early in his work at Metro, June was assigned to manage complex projects and main- tain key relationships and his achievements in these areas led to his promotion to a role in operations. Once in the man- agement structure, he applied his talents to fne-tuning opera- tional performance and creating a data-driven environment. Metro has recognized June for meritorious ser- vice several times for his management through crit- ical situations, from the relocation of its operations control center, to responding to the fooding of its control center, snow operations, and the rare earth - quake. In each of these situations, June ensured that the customers were served safely and efectively. He has also been recognized for his manage- ment through the major transition of service last year in which an innovative new paratran- sit business model was implemented based on a design that he and his team helped to create. Historically, such transitions usually include some disruption of service, so it is especially noteworthy that the transition was not only suc- cessful but also quiet. Te energy and commit- ment from June's team has enabled an impressive set of achievements. Routinely inter- viewed by transit agencies and other organizations on the suc- cess of his operation, he main- tains the sober perspective that we are only as good as our most recent day of service, and he remains committed to ensuring that we never let down our guard. He actively participates in the American Pub- lic Transportation Association, sharing and com- paring information with peer transit agencies and supporting the implementation of best practices throughout the industry. www.MassTransitmag.com/11617644 "… I have seen positive movement forward on issues related to accessibility. I would love to see these strides taken much further, to the point where accessibility is fully and seamlessly integrated into all modes of transit …" "Transit creates and improves transportation choice, is environmentally friendly, reduces congestion, spurs redevelopment and can save households money. Through these benefits, everyone is impacted by public transit whether they use it or not."