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SamTrans > News Archive > Samtrans Honors Employees of the Year
Samtrans Honors Employees of the Year
Two veteran employees who bring dedication and an outstanding work ethic to their
jobs were honored recently by the San Mateo County Transit District as employees of
the year.
Bus operator Juan Orlando Casiano of San Mateo and mechanic Generoso "Geno" Maranan
of Daly City were recognized, respectively, as the operator and maintenance employees
of the year for 2003.
A native of Puerto Rico, Casiano had earned a bachelor’s degree from the
Inter-America University before he moved to the Bay Area in 1977. He worked a
variety of jobs before he joined Mission Trails Charter Co. as a bus driver. When
the private bus operator was absorbed by the transit district in 1980, Casiano became
a SamTrans employee.
He has been named SamTrans’ Operator of the Month four times. He has participated
several times in the SamTrans Bus Roadeo, which tests driving skills, and received a
20-year Safe Driving Award last November.
"Juan is a very customer-service-oriented bus operator, taking great pride in
providing the best possible service to our customers," said Chester Patton III,
manager of bus transportation. "He reports to work with a big smile on his face. He
is very well-liked by his co-workers and knows he can be depended upon."
Casiano, 51, enjoys being of service to the passengers who depend on SamTrans to get
around, including senior citizens and students, and particularly likes driving
SamTrans’ new low-floor buses.
"They’re like riding in a limo," he said. "There’s no shaking, just smooth all the
way, plus they have a lot of power and are always clean."
A father of three who has three grandchildren, Casiano appreciates the excellent
benefits and assistance that SamTrans has provided his family, as well as the lasting
relationships he has forged with co-workers.
Casiano is happy to receive the award both as validation "that I’ve been doing the
right things at work," as well as an incentive to keep working hard. "I like the way
I’ve been treated by the company. We are treated professionally and with respect."
When he’s not in the driver’s seat, Casiano can be found pursuing one of his many
leisure activities, including jogging, swimming, salsa dancing, gardening and playing
baseball on Los Tiburones ("The Sharks") team in the San Francisco League. He also
likes to visit his vacation home in Puerto Rico.
Maranan also worked his way up at SamTrans after joining the agency in 1989 as a
utility worker, steam-cleaning mud and dirt from the undercarriage and the engine to
prepare buses for the mechanics. All the while, Maranan learned on the job and
within a few years, with the help of co-workers, he passed tests to advance to a
"Mechanic A."
Selected Maintenance Employee of the Month four times, Maranan is grateful to his
co-workers for nominating him for the Maintenance Employee of the Year award.
"I love working at SamTrans," he said. "It has a great atmosphere and I can’t wait
to come to work."
"Geno’s collaboration and productivity truly represent the very best of our
maintenance team," said David Olmeda, manager of bus maintenance. "He has worked
hard and diligently to achieve promotions and best of all, he is dependable,
knowledgeable and cooperative."
Before immigrating in 1984, Maranan had studied criminology in the Philippines with
the intent of becoming a police officer. Those detective instincts rise to his
favorite fix-it challenge -- answering "road calls" for disabled buses that must be
quickly assessed and made driveable enough to get them back to the base.
The pressure is really on when a road call involves an idled bus at a 49er game,
where there is little room to maneuver and limited time to get the bus repaired so
football fans can get a ride home.
"You don’t know what to expect on a road call," he said. "You have to figure it out
if you can and bring the bus back. They tow it if you really need to, but if
possible, I bring it back."
One of 10 children (brother Hector is a SamTrans bus operator), Maranan and his wife,
Arleen, have four sons. His hobby is working on his house, and he has taught himself
how to do everything from plumbing to wiring, hanging doors and installing cabinets.
He’s also the family barber.
The two honorees were selected from among the employees who received the Employee of
the Month awards in 2003 and must meet additional criteria including a year of
continuous employment, no disciplinary actions and no unexcused absences on their
records.
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