SamTrans bus operators and mechanics faced off in the local bus roadeo competition held recently in South San Francisco. The event is the first step to the annual American Public Transportation Association’s international roadeo, which will be held next spring in Austin, Texas.

Bus operator Edwin Freeman of South San Francisco came in first place with 585 points out of a possible 650. This is the eighth time that Freeman has won the local competition, a SamTrans record.

Bus operator Bernardo Hernandez of San Mateo came in second place with 576 points, followed by Ariel Hale of Pacifica in third place with 556 points.

Bus roadeos provide an incentive for front-line transportation providers to hone their skills, setting the bar for safe driving practices ever higher.

Drivers must maneuver a 30,000-pound bus smoothly through 11 challenges on a timed-course. Each operator leaves the starting line with 650 points and points are deducted for making errors or taking longer than the allotted seven minutes. Competitors also are judged on how smoothly they drive the bus.

Freeman, Hernandez and Hale will represent SamTrans at the Northern California Regional Bus Roadeo Oct. 13 in Hayward. Scores from the local and regional roadeos will be combined to determine which SamTrans operator will compete in the international roadeo. Last year, SamTrans took second place in the overall competition.

On the maintenance side, teams made up of three mechanics were

challenged to trouble-shoot a “bugged” bus and ace a written test. The top scoring team was Andrew McCambridge of Sunnyvale, Robert Santiago of Pacifica and Ryan Plante of Fremont. The team has represented SamTrans four years in a row at the regional and international roadeos, and their score has improved each year.

In other competitive divisions, Mechanic Ashok Singh of Hayward finished first in the maintenance driver competition. Instructors William Snell of South San Francisco and Ron Jordan of Menlo Park came in first and second place, respectively, in the instructor division. Marlon Cabuntala of South San Francisco was named Rookie of the Year.

The roadeo also included participants from MV Transportation, the district’s contract operator. In that competition, Garner Andes of San Jose came in first place.

The SamTrans Bus Roadeo is dedicated to former veteran employee James V. Castagno. Castagno began his career with SamTrans as a mechanic and, at the time of his death, had worked his way up through the ranks to a senior management position.