ALTOONA, IA – Southwest Iowa Transit Agency (SWITA), operated by Southwest Iowa Planning
Council (SWIPCO) has once again been named the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Regional
Transit System of the Year. The award was announced during the Iowa Public Transit Association
Annual Awards at Prairie Meadows in Altoona on Thursday, June 18th. This marks the fourth year in
a row that SWITA has been honored for this award, a new benchmark milestone.
The Iowa DOT Award is based on several factors meant to represent ridership and efficiency. Some
of the factors include overall ridership, ridership per capita, percentage of ridership increase, and
cost efficiency of rides provided. SWITA has earned this award again due to strong ridership
numbers while being the most cost-efficient system in the state.
SWITA Transit Director Mark Lander said, “It’s a great honor to stand out amongst all the great
regional transit systems in the state. It takes a lot of hard work, day in and day out, from all our team
to reach the ridership and efficiency marks we have. This takes everyone from the staff, the drivers,
the shop, the board, and other supporters. We take pride in getting Southwest Iowans where they
need to go.”
In Fiscal Year 2025 SWITA provided 546,745 rides, traveling 2, 018,066 miles, totaling 113,122 hours
on the road. SWITA transportation is accessible to everyone in the eight-county region, including
the disabled and elderly. SWITA offers several transportation options including work routes,
medical trips, student transportation, taxi service in six communities, and special trips. SWITA
vehicles are equipped with wheelchair accessibility and one personal attendant rides free.
SWITA Transit Coordinator Kristen Templeton said, “Receiving the Regional Transit System of the
Year award is an honor for all of us at SWITA/SWIPCO. Our team works hard daily to keep the
wheels turning and provide transit services throughout Southwest Iowa. Our goal is to connect
people needing reliable transportation to the services that matter most to them. Providing trips is
what we do and serving our area communities is our mission.”
SWITA Driver of the Year Leon Zaiger was also recognized at the IPTA Driver Awards Dinner on
Friday, June 19th at the Prairie Meadows Pavilion in Altoona. Top drivers from across the state were
recognized for their great work and many drivers stayed to participate in the IPTA Driver Roadeo on
Saturday, June 20th.
If you would like more information about SWITA services in the region you can check out the
website www.swita.com or call 1-800-842-8065. SWIPCO is an equal opportunity employer, provider, and lender.
