Metro News Release

For immediate release: April 28, 2003

This week at Metro (Monday, April 28, 2003)

Bus "Roadeo" set for this Saturday, April 26, at the Landover Bus Division

On Saturday, April 26, 2003, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Metrobus "cowboys" are set to drive their "steers" - in this case 40-foot long, 30,000-pound Metrobuses - to victory in the 26th Annual Bus Roadeo. This annual event will take place at the Landover Bus Division, 3433 Pennsy Drive, in Landover, Maryland. (The Landover Bus Division is across the street from the Carmen E. Turner Maintenance and Training Facility, just one block north of MD Route 410 and the Pennsy Drive intersection in Landover.) Called a "Roadeo" because the Metrobuses are put through their paces on a road, this event challenges both operators and maintenance workers to demonstrate their skill in timed events. Individual bus operators and teams of bus mechanics compete for first through third place in the local competition which scores the competitors on professional appearance and on the ability to safely and quickly complete an obstacle course."Operators and mechanics look forward to this event each year as it allows them to showcase their excellent driving and mechanical skills which demonstrate why Metrobus is one of the safest bus systems in the nation," stated Jack Requa, Chief Operating Officer for Bus Service.For example, one of the timed skill events for operators involves being able to stop a bus before hitting an obstacle, in this instance, an orange traffic cone. The operator who gets the closest to the cone without knocking it over is judged the winner of that event.One of the events mechanics compete in involves the identification of planted defects on buses. The mechanics team which identifies the most planted defects correctly and in the shortest amount of time is deemed the winner of that event.The competition will include added events and entertainment for family and friends of the competitors: music; catered food; visits from McGruff the Crime Dog, Max the Metro Mascot, and the Metrobus Robot; face painting for children; bus displays; and free giveaways."In addition, this year’s competition will feature a heavy-duty towing and recovery demonstration by the system’s crack Bus Maintenance Recovery Team; a safety-related competition for the participants; and the participation by local police agencies in the day’s activities," stated Steve Petruccelli, coordinator of this year’s event.The first place operator and mechanics team winners will represent Metro at the International Bus Roadeo, sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association. The International Roadeo will be in Salt Lake City, Utah, in September 2003. The first through third place winners, announced at the end of the competition, will all receive trophies.Upcoming events accessible by MetroApril 26, 2003, 9 a.m., 26th Annual Metrobus Roadeo, at the Landover Bus Division, where operators and mechanics will compete in events demonstrating their skills on obstacle courses and troubleshooting for planted mechanical defects.April 29, 2003, the Annual Metro Poster Contest Deadline for Student Entries from the metropolitan region; the contest theme is "Metro 2020: Vision of the Future Metrobus and Metrorail."May 3, 2003, 9 a.m., 9th Annual Rail Rodeo and the 2nd Annual Custom Car and Motorcycle Show, at the Greenbelt Rail Yard. Operators and mechanics will demonstrate their rail operating and mechanical skills, while other employees showcase their custom cars and motorcycles.May 16, 2003, 6:30 p.m., the Annual Metro Poster Contest Awards Ceremony, for student finalists as well as their parents and teachers, Metro headquarters, 600 Fifth Street, NW.June 7, 2003, the Komen National Race for the Cure, with Metro entering a team and providing safe and secure transportation for race volunteers, participants, and spectators.July 8-12, 2003, 32nd Annual Conference of Minority Transportation Officials’ National Meeting and Training Conference in Washington, DC; the conference will feature workshops, technical tours, and a youth symposium. Conference planners expect 1,000 attendees at the conference sponsored by Metro and the COMTO Washington, DC, chapter and co-hosted by the Maryland chapter of COMTO. DC Mayor Anthony Williams is the Honorary Chair of the conference.Board committee meetings scheduledOn Thursday, May 1, 2003, the Operations Committee will convene at 9:00 a.m. followed by the Planning and Development Committee meeting, both in the Meeting Room adjacent to the lobby at Metro headquarters, 600 Fifth Street, NW. To hear a recording about upcoming meetings, date and time changes for meetings, or the results of the last meeting, call 202-962-1055.

News release issued on April 28, 2003.