University President Michael K. Young spoke at the awards ceremony, and said he's proud that his school has exemplified the unique and important role of mass transit.

More than 25,000 people traveled to the University in 1987, with the school having a mere 14,600 parking spaces. Today, over 39,000 people commute to the school - faculty, staff and students - yet there has been a 6 percent decline in the number of parking spaces over the same time period.

Despite this, Young said there are almost always available parking spaces at the school during most times of the day. The reason, he said, is because more people - about 25 percent of the school's population - are using public transportation, either bus or light rail.

"We have many more people who commute to and from the university than we did 18 years ago, but there are far fewer cars," he said. "We expect these trends to continue."

In 1991 the UTA Education Pass was initiated, which prompted more people to commute to and from the university by bus. Today, the passes, which are free to the faculty, students and staff, can be used for either bus or TRAX, and are paid for through parking fees.