• Subscribe
  • Magazine
  • 40 Under 40
  • Supplier's Directory
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
    1. Bus

    20 HART Operators Honored by the Tampa Area Safety Council

    May 14, 2015
    Related To: Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART)
    Back row, from left to right, Ruthie Reyes Burckard, HART chief operating officer; Michael Stephens, chief business enterprise and safety officer; Katharine Eagan, chief executive officer; Timothy Mathias, Luis Claro, Claude Matthews, Jacqueline Franklin, Sheryl West, Jacqueline Walden, Geraldine James, Gloria Ellison, Tawanda Williams, Gloria Girard, Valencia Joyce, and Ermin Morales. Front row, from left to right, Thomas Mouling, Roland 'Skip' Diggs.
    Back row, from left to right, Ruthie Reyes Burckard, HART chief operating officer; Michael Stephens, chief business enterprise and safety officer; Katharine Eagan, chief executive officer; Timothy Mathias, Luis Claro, Claude Matthews, Jacqueline Franklin, Sheryl West, Jacqueline Walden, Geraldine James, Gloria Ellison, Tawanda Williams, Gloria Girard, Valencia Joyce, and Ermin Morales.
    Front row, from left to right, Thomas Mouling, Roland "Skip" Diggs.

    It's like driving to the moon and back, 48 times... without an accident.

    At their annual awards banquet, The Tampa Area Safety Council honored 20 HART Operators with the One Million Mile Club Award at their 35th Annual Safety Awards Luncheon on May 13. In fact, 18 Bus and Van operators achieved One Million Mile status, while one drove Two Million Miles and one accomplished an amazing Three Million Miles without a preventable accident.

    "Having this many Million Milers in one transit agency is truly remarkable," said Katharine Eagan, HART chief executive officer. "We congratulate these accomplished Bus and Van Operators and we thank them for their safe and conscientious driving. It takes skilled and very focused driving to achieve this elite Million Miler status."

    The Bus and Van Operators that were presented with the coveted One Million Mile Club awards for 2014 are Carla Banks, Carrie Bell, Luis Claro, Valencia Joyce, Geraldine James, Michael McCoy, Claude Matthews, Jacqueline Franklin, Timothy Mathias, Angel Rivera, Scott Saunders, Rickey Sparks, and Tawanda Williams, Gloria Girard, Gloria Ellison, Ermin Morales, Sheryl West, Jacqueline Walden. In addition, Bus Operator, Roland "Skip" Diggs joins the amazing Two Million Mile club, and Bus Operator Thomas Mouling becomes the second HART Operator to hold the remarkable Three Million Mile Club member status.

    Each of these extraordinary Operators has been diligent about maintaining passenger safety as a top priority during their long, outstanding careers with HART that trace back from the early 1970s to the early 2000s. To qualify for membership in the One Million Mile Club, a Bus or Van Operator must complete 14 years without a preventable accident. As a team these honorees have earned a combined safe driving record of 23 million miles, the equivalent of driving to the moon and back 48 times without an accident.

    The career paths of each HART Operator are also defined by hard work, courage and achievement. During his tenure Ermin Morales has held several positions at HART, including driving buses and working in the marketing department. Carla Banks, Jacqueline Franklin, Geraldine James, and Jacqueline Walden all began their driving careers at the Hillsborough County School District before transferring to HART. The accomplishments don't end there, recently Claude Mathews and Thomas Mouling retired from HART after more than 58 years with the agency.

    The One Million Mile Club has been in existence since 1994, and now has 144 members, and 25 of them have been inducted into the Two Million Mile Club, a status that requires 27 years of driving without a preventable accident. Up until recently, only one person, retired HART Operator Samuel Baker, held the remarkable status as a Three Million Mile Club member. This year, we are proud to add Bus Operator Thomas Mouling to this exclusive club. Mr. Mouling drove 41 years without a preventable accident. HART requires a Three Million Mile Club member to have completed 40 years of driving without a preventable accident.  

    This elite designation clearly demonstrates each Operator's commitment to the core HART mission and customer-centric philosophy. These highly skilled and qualified drivers boast a HART patch on their uniforms to distinguish them as members of the Million Mile Club.