The Victor Valley Transit Authority has announced that Executive Director Kevin Kane was honored with inclusion to the California Association for Coordinated Transportation’s Wall of Excellence.

Kane was honored recently at CALACT’s Spring Conference Awards Luncheon in Newport Beach, where he received their annual “Wall of Excellence Award.'

Each year, the award is given to individuals who have a long and distinguished career in public transportation and have made outstanding contributions to CALACT and the transportation industry, said officials with the Hesperia-based VVTA.

“Kevin is a dedicated advocate for public transportation and has gone to extreme lengths to serve the transit community in California and so deserving of the CALACT Wall of Excellence award,” said CALACT Executive Director Jaclyn Cuddy.

When COVID hit and other transit agencies could not obtain PPE equipment, VVTA stepped up to assist CALACT with financing the bulk order purchase of safety equipment.

The order amount was over $100,000, and CALACT did not have the resources to purchase the PPE. VVTA stepped up and provided a purchase order to cover the cost of the equipment until CALACT could reimburse the agency.

In addition, Kane received over 400,000 masks and hand sanitizers for Southern California members and collaborated with his staff to break up the shipments into the amounts requested by members.

He then held PPE orders until agencies were able to pick them up and coordinated shipment to local members.

Obtaining affordable PPE when you could not find it was a considerable feat and helped over 225 CALACT members receive PPE for their employees to keep them safe.

Transit operations across the state would have suffered even more if agencies had not been able to obtain the necessary PPE for drivers.

Kane was inducted by Amy Hance, General Services Manager with the City of Clovis, who said,  “It was an honor to present Kevin Kane the CALACT Wall of Excellence Award at the Spring Conference Awards Luncheon.”  

“Kevin is a leader in public transit and has made significant contributions to the industry,” Hance said. “His ability to develop creative solutions to tough problems has set the standard for public operators throughout the state. He is generous with his time and knowledge, and is always willing to pitch in and provide assistance to others.”

As the Executive Director of VVTA, Kane arranged the finance and construction of a large, gold and silver LEED-certified transit facility with administrative offices, operations offices, a maintenance facility, and covered parking for transit coaches.

Under his leadership, VVTA created a CTSA program that provides services to residents in Needles who previously had no lifeline services to the court system and medical facilities in San Bernardino County.

They created a volunteer driver program and a nationally recognized vehicle rental program.

Kane led the way in transitioning his fleet and operations to zero emissions and has twelve battery-electric buses providing transit services in the Victor Valley and Barstow communities.

Under Kane’s leadership, VVTA operates out of two facilities, the primary operations and maintenance facility in Hesperia and a second in Barstow.

The agency has always been environmentally conscious, starting its change to CNG buses in 1998 to reduce its GHG emissions. By 2012, 100% of its fixed-route fleet was CNG, utilizing Renewable Natural Gas.

After implementing the California Air Resources Board’s Innovative Clean Transit regulation, VVTA purchased its first Battery Electric Buses in 2018 and put them into service in 2019.

The agency currently operates 12 BEBs and is switching to a hydrogen fuel cell, with the goal of 100% of its fixed-route fleet being zero emissions by 2035.

 “On behalf of the Board of Directors, we are so proud of Kevin and his many accomplishments,” said VVTA Board Victor Valley Chair Joy Jeanette. “He has changed the face of transit in the Victor Valley and has been a shining example of leadership to agencies nationwide.”

Kane is a 28-year veteran of public transportation. He is a native of Rockaway, New York, who attended Brooklyn High School and graduated from Iona College in New Rochelle, New York.

He began his career working as VP of sales development, Eastern Region for the Newspaper Advertising Bureau in New York City. He then served as marketing director for the Knoxville News Sentinel.  

Kane is set to retire from VVTA in December.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz