[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 5994-5995]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         IN RECOGNITION OF COUNTY CONNECTION'S 25TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ELLEN O. TAUSCHER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 25, 2006

  Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise with my colleague, Representative 
George Miller, to pay tribute to County Connection, the public bus 
system provider that serves more than a dozen communities and 
unincorporated areas of central Contra Costa County in our two 
Congressional Districts.
  County Connection was founded on March 27, 1980 under a Joint 
Exercise of Powers Agreement. After several years of careful planning, 
locally elected officials in Central Contra Costa recognized the need 
for a truly coordinated and integrated regional transit system.
  County Connection began providing service with 12 buses, carrying 
1,950,000 passengers, traveling 1,423,357 miles. In just its first ten 
years, the agency multiplied its fleet of buses ten fold. Today, the 
transportation agency maintains a current fleet of 131 buses and 56 
LINK vans, makes nearly 5,000,000 fixed-route and paratransit trips 
throughout central Contra Costa and provides 4.5 million rides 
annually.
  The system is now overseen by an 11-member Board of Directors, one 
representative from each jurisdiction and one representative for the 
unincorporated areas of Central County.
  Since its establishment, County Connection has received numerous 
prestigious awards including; the American Public Transit Association 
(APTA) Minority & Women Advancement Award for its meritorious 
accomplishments in the employment, promotion and training of minorities 
and women in management positions, and this year, the California Water 
Environment Association recognized the agency with

[[Page 5995]]

its ``Facility of the Year'' award in recognition for going above and 
beyond normal efforts to protect susceptible plant and wildlife that 
survive in local streams.
  For 25 years, County Connection has provided vital transportation 
services to residents throughout Central Contra Costa. As the 
population of this County grows, the services provided by County 
Connection have never been needed more. Each day agency buses help 
people get to their work, return home, and in general provide a service 
that no other program in the community can. Today, we are proud to 
commend County Connection for the agency's service to the community and 
its lasting commitment to the people of Contra Costa County.

                          ____________________