Fun, Food, and Fierce Competition at 2018 HART/PSTA Regional Bus Roadeo

HART and PSTA held the annual Regional Roadeo last weekend at the HART Operations and Maintenance Facility. Bus and van operators from HART and PSTA, as well as, two teams of PSTA mechanics showcased their driving and vehicle maintenance skills. 

"I am proud of all our drivers who participated in the HART and PSTA Regional Bus Roadeo," said HART Chief Operating Officer Ruthie Reyes Burckard. "Their participation is voluntary and demonstrates their commitment to safety and strengthening their skills."

More than 29 operators were judged on a rigid, scored course, consisting of 11 different obstacles. Operators were evaluated on 16 criteria including a pre-trip inspection of their vehicle, uniform compliance, 11 different driving challenges, smoothness of operation, and safety habits - all on a timed course. The van operators competition consisted of the same obstacle course and also included a wheelchair deployment following ADA protocol as part of their criteria. The 6 PSTA maintenance technicians were tasked with finding preset defects on six modules including air conditioning, powertrain, and more. Participants also had to conduct a vehicle inspection to locate pre-set defects that would render the vehicle inoperable and/or unsafe.

Operators were judged on 11 different obstacles

Joining these competitors were approximately 75 employees and vendors from both agencies who volunteered as judges and assessed contestants driving skills, knowledge of safety rules, time performance and maintenance skills. First place finishers advanced to the State competition held in Daytona Beach on April 27 and could advance to the 2018 APTA International Bus Roadeo hosted jointly by HART and PSTA at the PSTA Operations facility in St. Petersburg on May 6, 2018.

Results

HART

HART - Bus Operators - Top 3

Bus

• 1st Place - Guardionex Falero-Ramos - Fourth Roadeo; two 2nd Place and one 3rd Place finishes
• 2nd Place - Maged Botros - First Roadeo
• 3rd Place - Eric McKethan - Fourth Roadeo; one top 10, and two first place finishes

 
Van

• 1st Place - Alfred Patterson - Third Roadeo; first top 5 finish
• 2nd Place - LaShawn Vickers - First Roadeo
• 3rd Place - Francisco Guerrero - First Roadeo

PSTA

Bus

PSTA winners

• 1st Place -Nehemia Guerra
• 2nd Place - Randy Pinto
• 3rd Place - Jose Colindres
  

Maintenance

• 1st Place - Tyler Johnson, Bobby Farris, and Paul Levesque
• 2nd Place - Derrick Brown, Zach Hulet, and Tim Sandmeyer

Fun was had by all!