Best Transit Bus Operator, Maintenance Crew and Grand Champion Named

News Release

May 7 , 2008

Virginia Miller
(202) 496-4816
vmiller@apta.com

(Download In Adobe PDF format)

The Delaware Transit Corporation in Wilmington, DE won the Grand Champion Award at the prestigious 33rd International Bus Roadeo held in conjunction with the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Bus and Paratransit Conference in Austin, TX this week.  This honor, recognizing the men and women who keep North America’s bus systems safe and efficient, is given to the bus operator and maintenance team that has the highest combined score.

Second place for the Grand Champion Award was the State of Florida Broward County/ Lynx Transit team in Pompano Beach, FL.  Third place went to the team from the Metropolitan Transit Authority in New York City.

More than 88 public transportation systems in North America competed in the 2008 International Bus Roadeo competition. The winners were announced at an awards dinner on May 6.

Seventy-six bus operators competed in the 40-foot bus competition, a test of bus operators’ driving skills.  Jesse Dela Cruz of Alameda-Contra Transit District in Oakland, CA was named the best driver in North America, winning first place in the 40-foot bus competition.  Second place was awarded to Rendol Whidden of Broward County Transit in Pompano Beach, FL.  Gilbert Castro of Tri Delta Transit in Antioch, CA received third place honors.

Twenty-four bus operators competed in the Operator Competition for 35-foot buses.  Arthur Murillo from Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority in Austin, TX won first place as the best bus operator in North America in the 35-foot category.  Lloyd Eisenman of Jefferson Transit Authority in Port Townsend, WA won second place, and   Abdelkader Tenouri of Capital Metropolitan Transit Authority in Austin, TX earned third place.

Forty-seven maintenance teams competed in the Maintenance Competition, which tests mechanics’ abilities to troubleshoot mechanical problems and fix them quickly.  The Orange County Transportation Authority team from Orange, CA won first place in the category.  The maintenance team from Delaware Transit Corporation in Wilmington, DE earned a second place finish and the team from the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority in Los Angeles, CA received third place honors.

The third annual Customer Service Challenge Awards, which judges professionalism, customer service skills, and problem-solving creativity, were also held at the conference. William Webb of the Delaware Transit Corporation in Wilmington, DE won first place in the Customer Service Challenge and Michael Grady of King County Metro earned a second place finish.

Two additional demonstration competitions took place.  The winner of the MCI Multiplex module trouble-shooting event went to the maintenance team from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority in Washington, DC.  Edwin Negron of New Jersey Transit in Newark, NJ won the top honor in the Operator Pre-Trip Competition, a demonstration event sponsored by New Flyer.

Fred Gilliam, President and CEO of Capital Metropolitan Authority in Austin Texas, put his skills to the test with a great driving performance at the Celebrity Competition at the Roadeo.

“The APTA International Bus Roadeo highlights the best bus operators and maintenance teams in North America,” said APTA President William W. Millar.  “I congratulate all the winners on their achievements.  They are role models of excellence and professionalism in the transit bus industry.”

 

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APTA is a nonprofit international association of more than 1,500 member organizations including public transportation systems; planning, design, construction and finance firms; product and service providers; academic institutions; and state associations and departments of transportation. APTA members serve the public interest by providing safe, efficient and economical public transportation services and products. APTA members serve more than 90 percent of persons using public transportation in the United States and Canada.

 

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