We are excited to announce Lakisha Witherspoon as our 2025 Driver of the Year! Lakisha completed over 3,200 trips this year with a 91% on-time performance. Throughout the year she also was featured in our anti-litter ad campaign which won ClasTran the 2025 Alabama PALS Governor's award. Please join us in celebrating Lakisha's significant achievement!
ClasTran is proud to announce the completion of our 2025 AARP Community Challenge project, made possible through support from AARP Livable Communities and AARP Alabama. This quick-action initiative focused on a simple but meaningful improvement: helping seniors carry more groceries home safely when using public transportation.
Through this project, ClasTran added grocery carts to all vehicles in our fleet, removing a long-standing barrier many riders faced when traveling to and from grocery stores.
Identifying a Practical Barrier to Food Access
ClasTran regularly transports seniors and individuals with disabilities to grocery stores throughout the Birmingham area. While these trips are essential, many riders were limited to purchasing only what they could safely hold in their lap—often just one or two bags. This restriction made it difficult for seniors to buy enough groceries in a single trip, particularly fresh or heavier items.
Rather than focusing on large infrastructure changes, this project addressed a practical, everyday challenge that directly affected riders’ independence and quality of life.
By equipping every ClasTran vehicle with an onboard grocery cart, riders now have a safe, stable way to transport more groceries during each trip.
A Small Change with Meaningful Impact
The addition of grocery carts allows seniors to:
Carry more groceries home in a single trip
Reduce the need for extra return trips or outside assistance
Travel more comfortably and confidently
Maintain greater independence in meeting daily needs
This improvement supports food access while also respecting the dignity and autonomy of the riders we serve.
About the AARP Community Challenge Grant
The AARP Community Challenge grant program is designed to help make communities more livable for people of all ages through tangible, quick-action projects that can spark long-term change.
Now in its ninth year, the program awarded more than $4.2 million to 383 grantees across all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Projects funded through the program address areas such as transportation, housing, public spaces, digital connectivity, and community resilience.
AARP recognizes that while strong communities take time to build, small, well-designed actions can create immediate benefits and lasting momentum. True to the program’s quick-action nature, all projects are required to be completed within a short timeframe—making implementation and real-world impact a priority.
ClasTran’s grocery cart project aligns closely with this mission by delivering a clear, tangible improvement that riders can experience immediately.
Supporting Age-Friendly Mobility in Birmingham
This project demonstrates how thoughtful transportation improvements can support age-friendly communities, especially for seniors who rely on public or paratransit services for essential trips. By reducing physical limitations associated with grocery shopping, ClasTran is helping ensure that mobility services better support daily living—not just travel from point A to point B.
We are grateful to AARP Livable Communities for their support and partnership, and we’re proud to implement solutions that make a real difference in the lives of the seniors we serve.
To learn more about the AARP Community Challenge and view other funded projects across the country, visit AARP.org/CommunityChallenge or explore AARP’s Livable Communities interactive map at AARP.org/LivableMap.
ClasTran is honored to announce that we have received the 2025 Alabama PALS Governor's Award in recognition of our partnership with the Jefferson County Commission on the Don't Drop It On Alabama anti-litter campaign.
Litter along local roadways is a challenge our drivers witness every day, and when Jefferson County invited ClasTran to help amplify an anti-litter message, our team embraced the opportunity. Several staff members collaborated with Executive Director Shari Spencer to help develop the campaign's standout slogan: "Don't make me pull this bus over!" The phrase struck the perfect balance of humor and urgency, making it a memorable call to action for drivers throughout the county.
ClasTran provided in-kind support to bring the project to life, including wrapping five buses with the campaign artwork. The featured image—starring ClasTran driver Lakisha Witherspoon—was photographed by Owen Thomas, ClasTran's Innovation Manager. As the buses traveled throughout Jefferson County, the campaign generated an estimated 30 million impressions, significantly expanding the visibility of this important environmental message.
Receiving this Governor's Award is a meaningful recognition of the creativity, teamwork, and community partnership that made this project possible. We extend our sincere thanks to Jeanne Barnes of Jefferson County Roads & Transportation for nominating ClasTran and to Alabama PALS for this honor.
ClasTran is proud to play a role in promoting a cleaner, more beautiful Alabama—and even prouder to serve the residents of Jefferson County every day.
