CityBus driver William “Buddy” Silver has been driving for 30 years without an accident. Judith Sadler’s record of accident-free driving is 25 years, and JoeMcDowell’s record is 23 years. Silver, Sadler, McDowell and dozens of other CityBus drivers were recognized for their safe driving records at a banquet hosted by CityBus on Sunday, Nov. 9 at The Trails in West Lafayette.
“The annual Safety Banquet recognizes and rewards our employees for their outstanding performance,” said Martin Sennett, General Manager. “When you consider the number of miles our bus drivers and mechanics drive on a daily basis, it is commendable to have so many employees with accident-free records.”
CityBus drivers log a cumulative 1.6 million miles annually.
Two employees were recognized with special awards. Bus operator Troy Moffitt was awarded the 2008 Dallas Vice Award, which recognizes leadership, safety, attitude, and customer service. The award is named for Dallas Vice, Jr., a well-known and beloved CityBus driver who died in 1998.
Dung “Lambo” Lam, who works in Utility, received the first annual Jim Schnebly Award, which recognizes excellence in the maintenance and facilities division of CityBus. The award is named for Schnebly, the Assistant Manager of Maintenance who retired last month after 37 years of service.
Other CityBus employee safety records were recognized as follows:
· Mike Porter, 20 years
· Phyllis Bishop, 18 years
· Bill Meyer, 16 years
· Georgia O’Connor, 15 years
· Barb Rupel, 14 years
· Tim O’Connor, 12 years
· David Cripe, Rosetta Hillard, 10 years
· Caril Bloyd, Troy Moffitt, 9 years
· Dung Lam, 8 years
· Ron Galey, Chad Leamon, Mike Seikel, Danette Ward, 7 years
· Roland Hinojosa, George Leap, 6 years
· Greg Smith, 5 years
· Neal Dickover, George Draper, Kavin Frazer, Carolyn Kilmore, Kim Laxson, Randy Miller, Darin Stanfield, 4 years
· George Baker, Shawn Coffman, Matt Corns, Bob Cunningham, Bob Daniel, Stephania Davis, Leonard Gath, Dennis Giddens, Roger Miller, Larry Pattengale, 3 years
· Roger Akers, Don Condra, Don Cox, Barrett Edwards, Phil Kemmer, Renato Laborin, Bob McFadden, Tom Sanders, Rick Synesael, Deb Warf, Mel Williams, Roger Wilson, Mark Zerbes, 2 years
· Lenny Haase, Jim Kirby, Paul Lanting, Don Marshall, Roy Sasser, Dave Tesky, Bryan Walck, 1 year
CityBus employees were not the only stars of the banquet. The Clayton Miller Band entertained after the awards ceremony. Band member Larry Miller is a bus driver for CityBus. Clayton, Cole and LD, other members of the band, are his sons. The band received national acclaim in August 2006 when Cole and LD placed second in NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” reality show.
CityBus operates a fleet of 73, including four hybrid busses. It logged nearly 4.7 million passenger trips in 2007, including more than 340,000 on the downtown/Purdue trolley. Its mission is to be a proactive community partner, striving to improve the community’s quality of life by operating safe, reliable and environmentally friendly transit services, by partnering in local economic development activities, and by providing excellent customer service and efficient, convenient access to destinations throughout Lafayette and West Lafayette.
