Palm Tran received the first-place Unit Safety Award for transit systems operating more than 100 buses at the Florida Public Transportation Association's (FPTA) annual conference held Oct. 27-29 in Clearwater Beach, Fla.
This is the fourth consecutive year that Palm Tran has been recognized by its peers as having the safest transit system in the state. Over the past 10 years, Palm Tran has won the first-place award seven times and placed second twice. Transit systems are evaluated based on criteria such as total accidents and miles of service and are awarded in two categories: small bus systems (under 100 buses) and large bus systems (100 buses and over).
When asked to describe how Palm Tran has accomplished this, Palm Tran Executive Director Chuck Cohen stated, "At Palm Tran, safety and safe operations is an important part of our team culture and organizational mission. Our employees work hard and being recognized as the safest in the state with the first-place Unit Safety Award for four consecutive years is a major accomplishment for Palm Tran employees to be proud of."
Cohen identified Palm Tran bus operator Thomas Romano as a great example of Palm Tran's commitment to safety. Romano was recently recognized by Palm Beach County Administrator Robert Weisman for his outstanding driving record that includes over one million miles driven with no preventable accidents in 35 years of service with Palm Tran.
