Oceanside, CA – The North County Transit District (NCTD or The District) has hired Lilia Montoya to serve as the agency’s Chief Operations Officer of Bus, effective today, July 15, 2024. In this role, Montoya is responsible for the operations, oversight and maintenance of The District’s bus, ADA paratransit and specialized transportation services. She will also serve as a strategic advisor to the Chief Executive Officer, bringing more than 20 years of experience in nearly every aspect of transit including operations, safety, regulatory compliance, employee engagement and administration.
“Lilia’s widely established history of leadership and track record of operational excellence will undoubtedly lead the way as we transform our operations into the next phase for The District,” said NCTD Chief Executive Officer Shawn M. Donaghy. “Her experience will enable NCTD to continue toward a 100% zero emissions fleet, transition to the direct management of our bus operations teams and be a voice for our world-class employees who support our incredible communities.”
Montoya most recently served as Deputy Chief Executive Officer for Long Beach Transit. In this role, she oversaw daily operations and strategies, led diverse agency planning and completed sustainability initiatives. Prior to joining Long Beach Transit, Montoya served as Deputy Chief Operations Officer for the third-largest transit agency in the United States, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro). While at LA Metro, she directed transit operations administration and development, contract services, service planning, internal performance audits and Board initiatives.
“I share The District’s vision of operating industry-leading transit services,” said Montoya. “I look forward to working with the team to implement several major initiatives to modernize The District’s fleet and operations.”
The District’s Bus Operations serves 39 BREEZE fixed bus routes and 8 FLEX routes, as well as LIFT paratransit and NCTD+ On-demand rides for North San Diego County. These services connect with the agency’s COASTER Commuter Rail and SPRINTER Hybrid Rail systems, as well as with our partners at Amtrak, Metrolink and MTS.
Montoya previously held leadership positions with the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Union Pacific Railroad in Los Angeles and Portland and the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Portland, Oregon (TriMet). One key project was successfully positioning Long Beach Transit as an environmentally responsible industry leader through the transition to electric buses to meet California’s goal to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2035.
