EMBARK Honored with Multiple Awards by Oklahoma Transit Association

 EMBARK was honored with several awards during the 2022 Oklahoma Transit Association (OTA) Awards banquet in May. EMBARK won the Innovation Award for its CLIMB Ride program, and three EMBARK employees won the Major Ed Pulido Hero of the Year Award for their roles in the intervention of a human trafficking incident.

“Our outstanding team of transit professionals continues to keep EMBARK on the leading edge of inventive transit solutions while demonstrating our commitment to safety,” said Jason Ferbrache, EMBARK Administrator. “Both awards recognize EMBARK’s talented transit professionals. We are very proud of all our team members and their commitment to creating accessible transit options for central Oklahoma.”

EMBARK was honored with the Innovation Award based on its pairing of mobility and social services via comprehensive transportation options for its CLIMB Ride program. The program aims to remove transportation as a barrier for families wanting to reunify with their children.The program was designed to be a scalable solution for other transit systems to recreate.

“The CLIMB Ride project is an outstanding project,” said Andrea Ball, OTA Executive Director. “We are honored to help highlight this program with the 2022 Innovation Award. It’s important to showcase how transportation assistance using public transit helps provide foster care children the ability to visit with their families. It is a template for other programs across the nation to follow, and the OTA is thrilled this successful pilot program is happening in Oklahoma City at EMBARK.”

Three EMBARK employees were honored with the Major Ed Pulido Hero of the Year Award. The award recognized the personnel for their quick response in intervening ina human trafficking situation involving a visitor at the downtown Transit Center. Their swift action has continued to help raise awareness about human trafficking and public safety, showing EMBARK’s commitment to the well-beingof central Oklahoma residents.

“It’s inspiring to know how much commitment each of these operators showed to this passerby,” said Ball. “We are so proud of them and are pleased that we could add to their recognition. They wholeheartedly deserve this award.”

Both awards were given at the 2022 Oklahoma Transit Association Spring Transit Conference in Norman, Oklahoma.