SamTrans Roadeo Winners Heading to 2016 International Competition
Four SamTrans employees will represent the agency at an international skills competition next year as a result of their victories in the SamTrans Bus Roadeo, held on Aug. 30.
A friendly contest among colleagues, the SamTrans roadeo featured a bus driving course, where participants showed off their skills by navigating vehicles through narrow pathways while also performing technically difficult maneuvering and parking exercises. The roadeo also included a maintenance competition, which pitted three-man teams of mechanics responsible for diagnosing and solving a series of simulated vehicle problems.
SamTrans operator Rodrigo Eguilos captured the driving competition, while the team of Ryan Plante, Bruce Jenson and Gabriel Kozlosky took home the top prize in the maintenance contest.
As a result of their victories, those employees qualified for the International Bus Roadeo Competition, to be held in Charlotte, North Carolina from May 13 – 17. Hosted by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), an advocacy organization, the international roadeo showcases bus operators and mechanics from agencies across North America.
The quartet of winners will look to repeat the past successes of SamTrans employees at the international competition. In 1990, operator Gary Johnson finished first in the bus driving competition, and SamTrans’ maintenance teams racked up three straight top-10 finishes last decade.
The bus roadeo hosted by SamTrans on Aug. 30 was the first such event in seven years. The roadeo was temporarily suspended after the 2008 event, due to the economic recession and the long, slow national recovery. With the economy showing increasing strength, SamTrans’ union and management collaborated to bring back the event.
Along with the maintenance and driving competitions, the SamTrans Bus Roadeo featured plenty of family-friendly activities, food prepared by agency employees and a raffle with assorted prizes. More than 400 attended the roadeo, which was held at the SamTrans North Base facility in South San Francisco.
