Team from PSTA takes top honors at APTA's Bus Maintenance Roadeo

If you ride a Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) bus, you can rest assured that your bus is maintained by some of the best crews in the industry. PSTA’s maintenance team recently won a first place award at the International Bus Roadeo Maintenance Competition hosted by the American Public Transportation Association.

No, it wasn’t their first “roadeo." The team of three, Bobby Farris, Tyler Johnson and Paul Levesque, competed at the local and state maintenance bus roadeos before making the trip this spring to Louisville, Ky., to compete among the best crews in the nation and Canada.    

With 38 teams in the running, the pressure was on. When it came to the competition for maintaining bus engines and transmissions, the PSTA crew had just ten minutes to fix seven defects - from loose clamps, fasteners, and bolts, to missing items.

“These are issues that can cause low power, smoking, and no acceleration. It would take the bus out of service completely,” Tyler Johnson, PSTA maintenance team member said.

Before the clock ran out, the team had uncovered and repaired all the issues, but they were tied for first place with another crew. There was one factor that set PSTA apart for the first place win.     

“We won the event because we were able to get the engine to start in less than one minute. That’s the hardest defect to correct, and no one could beat our time,” Johnson explained.

PSTA Deputy Director of Fleet Operations Joseph Cheney takes a lot of pride in seeing his team succeed. After spending more than 30 years in the industry (24 of which were at the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority) and competing in bus roadeos himself, he wanted to pass on his knowledge and experience to the next generation.

“We spend a lot of time working with our maintenance team and coaching them to make them the best at what they do. It should give citizens a level of comfort to know that the people who maintain their buses are one of the best in the business, performing at a very high level in their trade,” Cheney said.

Johnson says he’s grateful for the opportunity to grow professionally. He’s been with PSTA for nine years after graduating from Pinellas Technical College. While Johnson and his team are used to being behind the scenes, they’re proud to spotlight the sense of purpose behind their jobs.

“For me, the most rewarding part is that we provide a safe and reliable service to so many people. You don’t get to see us, but we’re doing our best.”