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Metro celebrates successes in safety and customer
service King
County Metro Transit managers always take pride in the
accomplishments of their employees, but last week was particularly
gratifying. Veteran driver David Alexander was chosen as “Operator of
the Year” by his peers. Metro contestants won the International Transit
Roadeo in Dallas. And, all of the agency’s employees teamed together to
provide top-notch service during the first week of tunnel closure.The week started off with a celebration on Sept. 25, when Metro claimed the “Grand Champion” award in the 30th International Bus Roadeo. It recognizes the men and women who keep North America’s bus systems safe through their driving and maintenance skills. It is the first time in Metro's history that the agency has won the top award in the competition sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), which is given to the agency with the highest combined score of maintenance team and bus operator performance.  Metro’s
vehicle maintenance team of Ryan Stringfellow, Larry Fitzpatrick and
Leonard Emry finished first in two maintenance categories. It is the
third consecutive year this Metro team has won the top maintenance
award. Bus driver Michael Grady finished fourth in the 40-foot bus
competition.Last Thursday, Metro announced the winner of the coveted Operator of the Year award. The annual award honors bus drivers who demonstrate safe driving skills, exceptional customer service, and an outstanding overall work record. In order to receive the award, a driver must be chosen as Operator of the Month from one of the seven transit bases. At the end of the year, the Operator of the Year is selected by a vote of all fellow Operators of the Month. Alexander has been with Metro for 27 years, and is known for his outstanding customer service. “Dave drives to serve,” says one of his supervisors. “He truly enjoys the role of helping people.”  Alexander
is extremely popular with his passengers on the Routes 71, 72 and 73,
which serve Downtown Seattle, the University District and North Seattle.
Over the years, customers have written letters to Metro urging that
Alexander receive some sort of special recognition. Other customers have praised Alexander for his friendliness and willingness to answer any question. That was evident at his own surprise party last week. When asked to make a few comments at the end of the ceremony, Alexander instead chose to hold an impromptu question-and-answer session about his career. "Dave is a great example of all our bus operators who have to deliver the service day in and day out,” said Metro General Manager Kevin Desmond. “When all is said and done, they are the ones responsible for the high marks in customer satisfaction Metro consistently receives from its passengers." Desmond also thanked all the Metro employees who worked so hard to keep bus service and traffic moving after the closure of the bus tunnel on Sept. 24. He said there are still some issues to work out to make sure all Metro passengers are receiving efficient and reliable service, but he thinks the first week went fairly well without any major disruptions to bus service or downtown traffic flow. |
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