St. Charles Resident Recognized As Transportation Manager of the Year

St. Charles resident Ray Friem, the Chief Operating Officer at Metro Transit, was presented with the Region VII Transportation Manager of the Year Award Aug. 1 at the Missouri Public Transit Association meeting in Osage Beach, MO.
Friem was recognized for his dedication to providing quality public transportation to the citizens of the St. Louis region. It also recognizes his many achievements including leading an internationally recognized vehicle maintenance program which has significantly reduced costs while greatly improving service reliability to transit customers.
Friem’s visionary leadership and metric-based problem solving have substantially raised the St. Louis region’s level of transit service and created an environment and a team that foster a level of excellence that is now being recognized around the world.
Friem assumed responsibility for transit operations in 2003. His responsibilities include managing the Operations and Maintenance Divisions of MetroBus, MetroLink light rail, and Metro Call-A-Ride paratransit van services. He also leads the Planning and System Development Department, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Services, and Metro Transit Security and Fare Collection. His Division provides more than 47 million passenger trips each year using a fleet of 580 vehicles.
With Friem as Chief Operating Officer, Metro was ranked among the top five in the world and #1 in North America for The Metros international award for best Vehicle Maintenance Program. Others in the top five included Singapore; Seoul, South Korea; Warsaw, Poland; and London, England.