Metro Mechanics and Bus Operator Named Grand Champions
Metro has won the Grand Champion Award at the prestigious 32nd International Bus Roadeo -- a competition generally regarded as the Super Bowl for bus operators and mechanics.
More than 90 public transportation systems in North American competed this week in Nashville, Tenn. Winners were announced at an awards dinner May 8. The annual competition is held in conjunction with the American Public Transportation Assoc. (APTA) Bus and Paratransit Conference.
The honor recognizes men and women who keep North America’s bus systems safe and efficient. It is given to the bus operator and maintenance teams that have the highest combined score in a series of events testing bus operators’ driving skills and mechanics’ abilities to troubleshoot mechanical problems and fix them quickly. In addition to helping collect points for the Grand Champion Award, the Metro maintenance team came in first in the Maintenance Competition.
“This is certainly an honor for the men and women who keep our system running smoothly,” said CEO Roger Snoble. “And for our customers, this translates into excellent service since these experts are part of the team that serves Los Angeles Metro riders every day.”
The Metro maintenance team of Frank Forde, Rommel Vargas and Andrew Warren Jr. along with operator Mark Holland came in first or second in four of six timed technical events, accumulating enough points to beat out 46 other teams and win by a significant margin of 35 points.
“Team coordinator Frank Cecere and colleague Steve Mullaly worked tirelessly, preparing our team for this challenging competition,” said San Fernando Valley General manager Richard Hunt. “Much of our success can be attributed to Steve, Frank and the instruction staff.”
The maintenance team of Warren, Vargas and Forde are assigned to Arthur Winston Metro Division 5; operator Holland is with Metro’s San Gabriel Valley Division 9.
The Warren-Vargas-Forde team earlier represented Metro at APTA International competitions in Salt Lake City and Dallas. Metro last won the APTA maintenance competition in
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Editors: Print-sized photo available upon request.
APTA International Bus Roadeo Grand Champion Award winners are, from left, Mechanic Frank Forde, Metro Bus Operator Mark Holland, Mechanic Rommel Vargas and Mechanic Andrew Warren. They’re shown here with the trophies they won at regional Metro Bus Roadeo in September.
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