Award presentations are a major component of the APTA Bus & Paratransit Conference, recognizing the top operators and maintenance teams, the agencies with the strongest safety records, and the leaders in superior customer service. Here is a roundup of the award winners from this year’s events.

International Bus Roadeo
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) took the Grand Champion Award at the May 6 APTA International Bus Roadeo, which went to the team with the highest combined score. The honor was presented at the May 8 International Bus Roadeo Banquet.

DART’s maintenance team—Timothy Simmons, Lewis Wheeler, and James Furino—placed third in their competition. Operator Stanley Carpenter also represented the agency in the 40-foot bus category.

First place among maintenance teams went to VIA Metropolitan Transit in San Antonio, TX—Hugo Villarreal, Marcel Longmire, and Phil Davis. The Los Angeles Metro team of David Klinkenborg, Angel Feria, and Jose Moya placed second.

Among operators of 40-foot buses, Ramon Farfan of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Jacksonville, FL, came in first. The San Francisco Metropolitan Transportation Agency’s Kevin Grady was in second place, followed by Zennon Rinylo of Philadelphia’s Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority in third.

Arthur Murillo of the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Austin, TX, placed first among operators of 35-foot buses. Second place went to Gabe Beliz, Ben Franklin Transit, Richland, WA. Lloyd Eisemen, Jefferson Transit Authority, Port Townsend, WA, was the third-place winner.

Seventy-two public transit agencies participated in this year’s roadeo.

Bus Safety & Security Excellence Awards
APTA President & CEO Michael Melaniphy announced the winners of the 2012 Bus Safety & Security Excellence Awards during the May 5 Opening General Session of the conference. He was joined in the award presentation by APTA Vice Chair Flora M. Castillo, CHIE, and FTA Deputy Administrator Therese McMillan.

These APTA awards recognize public transportation organizations for their innovative and proactive safety and security programs. They also provide value to the industry by benchmarking successful programs so other public transit systems can adopt them and derive similar benefits. The four award criteria are effectiveness, benefit level, innovation, and transferability.

The top honor is the Gold Award, given to organizations with the best overall bus safety or bus security program. A Certificate of Merit goes to organizations in recognition of exceptional achievement in safety or security.

Winners of this year’s award program include:

Among bus systems with more than 4 million and fewer than 20 million passenger trips annually: Monterey Salinas Transit, Monterey, CA, Gold Award for Safety, and Pierce Transit, Lakewood, WA, Gold Award for Security.

Bus systems with 20 million or more passenger trips annually: VIA Metropolitan Transit, San Antonio, TX, Gold Award for Safety; MTA New York City Transit, Gold Award for Security; and Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, Certificate of Merit for Safety.

Customer Service Challenge
Gerald Waters, Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County, Reno, NV, won the seventh annual Customer Service Challenge on May 7. The runner-up was Penny Foster, Yakima Transit District, Yakima, WA.

Seven bus operators participated in the event, which included three parts: greeting passengers as they board; a standard scenario (a passenger complaining because the bus was late); and a “wild card” round with a different scenario for each contestant.

Representatives of Dallas Area Rapid Transit—including operator Stanley Carpenter, front row fourth from left, and maintenance team members Lewis Wheeler, fifth from right; James Furino, fourth from right; and Timothy Simmons, third from right—accept the Grand Champion Award at the APTA International Bus Roadeo Banquet. At far right in all photos are Monique Wyche from the International Bus Roadeo Committee and APTA President & CEO Michael Melaniphy.

The first-place maintenance team from VIA Metropolitan Transit in San Antonio, TX, included Marcel Longmire, fifth from left; Phil Davis, fifth from right; and Hugo Villarreal, fourth from right.

Arthur Murillo of Capital Metro in Austin, TX, third from right, took first place among operators of 35-foot buses.	First place among operators of 40-foot buses went to Ramon Farfan of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, Jacksonville, FL, third from right.

Gerald Walters, Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County, Reno, NV, took first place in the Customer Service Challenge. Penny Foster, Yakima Transit, Yakima, WA, was the runner-up.

Recipients of Bus Safety & Security Excellence Awards

Carl Sedoryk, general manager/chief executive officer, Monterey Salinas Transit, accepts the Gold Award for Safety among bus systems with more than 4 million and fewer than 20 million annual passenger trips.	Don Dzyacky, senior manager of transportation, Pierce Transit, with the Gold Award for Security among bus systems with more than 4 million and fewer than 20 million annual passenger trips.	Bobby Diehl, assistant general superintendent, MTA New York City Transit, displays the Gold Award for Security among bus systems with 20 million or more annual passenger trips.

Representatives of VIA Metropolitan Transit receive the Gold Award for Safety among bus systems with 20 million or more annual passenger trips. From left are Gary Glasscock, vice president, maintenance; David Frost, manager, paratransit operations; Hector Arias, safety supervisor; Keith Hom, vice president, operations; and Michael Ledesma, manager, bus service transportation, operations.	Pamela McCombe, director of safety, and Joseph Calabrese, chief executive officer, general manager/secretary-treasurer, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, hold the Certificate of Merit for Safety among bus systems with 20 million or more annual passenger trips.