|
|
 |
|
|
|
SamTrans > News Archive - 2003 > SamTrans Roadeo Team Scores at International Roadeo
SamTrans Roadeo Team Scores at International Roadeo
The SamTrans roadeo team recently took their show on the road to compete against the
best bus operators and mechanics in the United States and Canada, during the American
Public Transportation Association's annual International Bus Roadeo in Salt Lake City.
And the road-show proved to be a great success. For the first time in SamTrans
history, the roadeo team broke into the top five, placing fourth in the overall
combined finish category.
Bus Operator and roadeo veteran Edwin Freeman of South San Francisco teamed with
mechanics Gary Cox of Tracy, Greg Reschke of Daly City, and Ashok Singh of Hayward to
face tough competition. Seventy-one bus operators and 44 maintenance teams comprised
the event.
Freeman placed fifth in the 40-foot bus competition and in just three years of
competition the mechanic team placed seventh. Combined, these scores earned the team a
fourth place overall ranking, putting them ahead of many of the largest, most
well-known transit agencies in the United States, including New York City, Atlanta,
Chicago, and Dallas.
"Our roadeo team earned SamTrans a spot on the top five list at the international
competition level this year," said Chief Operating Officer Chuck Harvey. "That's
huge for us. It's setting a new precedent for our local competition."
The roadeo tests bus operators' and maintenance workers' skills as they maneuver
buses through a timed course consisting of 11 problems. Drivers begin with 600 points
that are deducted for hitting cones, making errors or finishing over the allocated six
minutes. The maintenance teams must correctly trouble-shoot various problems in a
written and demonstration-type test.
To qualify to compete in the International Roadeo, SamTrans team members won the local
SamTrans Roadeo in July and placed in the top three at the Regional Bus Roadeo, hosted
by AC Transit in Hayward in August.
At the regional event, the SamTrans roadeo team, which included instructors, operators
and maintenance workers, earned six awards in the six competition categories,
including the second place Grand Champion award.
Instructor Enrique Silvas of Millbrae, scored 486 points to win first place in the
instructors' competition and Ron Jordan of Menlo Park came in second. Operators
Freeman, Jai Prasad of Hayward and John Espinoza of San Bruno took third place in
their competition, and the Cox, Reschke, Singh maintenance team used their diagnostic
skills to secure a second place finish.
"Congratulations to this year's roadeo team for continuing our reputation as the 'team
to beat' at the regional roadeo, and putting SamTrans on the chart at the
international competition level," said CEO/General Manager Mike Scanlon. "It makes me
proud to see such a great outcome reflecting the culmination of lots of work by many
folks including our training department, bus operators and mechanics."
|
|
|
|
Schedules & Fares