Metro News Release

For immediate release: October 5, 2006

Metrobus 30th Annual Roadeo winners named

A Prince George’s County, MD, man who has been driving a Metrobus for 36 years, won the top award at the 30th Annual Metrobus Roadeo on Saturday, Sept. 30.

For the 18th time, Robert L. Miles of Bowie, MD, who works at the Landover Metrobus Division in Prince Georges County, MD, competed against 40 fellow bus drivers on an obstacle course consisting of 11 obstacles that cover every conceivable maneuver that a bus operator would encounter on the street. Miles demonstrated his excellent driving skills on the obstacle course as well as attaining points for personal appearance, smoothness of operation and safety habits.

Kenneth Lee of Bowie, MD, who also works out of the Landover Division finished in second place and Charles Jackson of Clinton, MD, took third place. Jackson works out of the Southern Avenue Bus Division in Capitol Heights, MD.

In another competition, three mechanical teams consisting of three members each had to search for planted defects on a bus and troubleshoot components, including engine modules, an air conditioning module and an air brake board. The team which located the greatest number of defects in the shortest period of time won the competition.

For the third consecutive year, the mechanic team from the Bladensburg Heavy Overhaul facility in Washington, DC, won first place. Team members included Truc Hoang of Centreville, VA, William Morgan of Bowie, MD, and Locksley McKenzie of Spotsylvania, VA.

The second place mechanic team from the Bladensburg Bus Reliability Technical Support Facility, included Kimphi Trinh of Gaithersburg, MD, Dave Swearman of Stevensville, MD, and Don Rich of LaPlata, MD. The third place mechanics team, a split team from the Bladensburg Heavy Overhaul facility and Bladensburg Street Garages, consisted of Neil Martin of Clinton, MD, Hamlet Hartoni of Columbia, MD, and Wendell Warffiemeius of Brandywine, MD.

The first place operator and maintenance teams will travel to Nashville, TN, to represent Metro at the International Bus Roadeo in April 2007.

News release issued on October 5, 2006.