LA Metro wins top APTA Roadeo award

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) won the Grand Champion Award at the 34th International Bus Roadeo held in conjunction with the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) Bus and Paratransit Conference in Seattle.

Metro was awarded with the award at a banquet on Tuesday. The Grand Champion award recognizes the bus operator and maintenance team that has the highest combined score. Second place went to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency team, while   Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority in Austin, Texas, took third.

Pierce Transit’s Brentt Mackie was named best driver in North America, beating out 53 other competitors to win first place in the 40-foot bus competition. Second place was awarded to Metro’s Juan Navarro and Elroy Williams of the Texas Department of Transportation received third place honors.

Daniel R. Schmidt of Ben Franklin Transit in Kennewick, Wash., won first place as the best bus operator in North America in the 35-foot category, with Darrion Mitchell from Metro Transit System in Columbus, Ga., taking second place and Kevin Grady from the SFMTA winning third place.

Other winners included:

Maintenance Competition

First Place-Community Transit (Everett, Wash.)

Second Place- Omnitrans (San Bernardino, Calif.) 

Third Place- Metro  

Pre-Trip Inspection Competition

First Place-Gabe Fernos (Spokane (Wash.) Transit Authority)

Second Place- Ramon Farfan (Jacksonville (Fla.) Transportation Authority)

Third Place- Jairo Naranjo (Chicago Transit Authority)  

Customer Service Challenge Awards

First Place-Jairo Naranjo (Chicago Transit Authority)  

Second Place- Paul Goodwin (Kitsap (Wash.) Transit