HART hosted an awards banquet on May 25 to honor its best bus, van and streetcar operators who have reached significant safety and service milestones.

Twenty-six employees received awards for driving a million miles or more without a preventable accident. In fact, 24 bus and van operators achieved one million mile status, while one bus operator drove two million miles and one streetcar operator became the first to accomplish this amazing status.

How far is a million miles? It's like driving to the moon and back, 54 times... or 40 times around the equator without an accident. In addition, imagine driving 769 one-way trips — from Tampa to New York City. It takes about 14 years of safe driving to reach the milestone and more than 175 operators have achieved this honor in the agency's 37-year history.

The bus, van and streetcar operators that were presented with the coveted One Million Mile Club awards for 2015 are Camilo Arevalo, Cathy Berroa, Bridgette Buster, Ronald Crosdale, Fidel Del Cueto, Damon Davis, Deana Edwards, Bernard Feron, Nicholas Gammal, Lisandro Gomero, Richard Kirkwood, Larry Lewis, Carlitos Martinez, Vera Norman, Delores Parker, Richard Parker, Marcelino Roman, Winfield Rismay, Corwin Williams, Armando Amor, Barbara Jones, Alfred Means, Noemi Muniz, Daniel Wimmer. In addition, bus operator, Carlos Duran joined the  Two Million Mile club, and streetcar operator Connie Cosme became the first operator to be awarded Million Mile Club member status.

"These Operator's careers mirror many of our employees who love what they do," said Rickey Kendall, HART Director of Risk & Safety. "With traffic as one of Tampa's hot-button issues, their jobs are more important than ever and we're delighted to have them as role models for the public transit system."

The One Million Mile Club has been in existence since 1994, and now has 175 members, and 26 of them have been inducted into the Two Million Mile Club, a status that requires 27 years of driving without a preventable accident. In addition, two bus operators have joined the elite status as a Three Million Mile Club member. HART requires a Three Million Mile Club member to have completed 40 years of driving without a preventable accident.