City honours OC Transpo operators for milestones in safe driving

Safe Driving Awards were presented today by the Mayor of Ottawa, the City Manager, and the General Manager of Transit Services to 45 OC Transpo bus operators in recognition of their distinguished safe-driving records and their commitment to providing safe and reliable service to customers.

“We are proud to recognize our OC Transpo operators who provide excellent service to customers and to honour the many outstanding drivers who have remained collision-free for significant milestones in their careers,” said the Mayor of Ottawa. “We pay tribute to these employees for their expertise and professionalism, and we thank them for their continued commitment to the safety and well-being of our residents.”

The annual OC Transpo Safe Driving Awards recognize drivers who have reached career milestones in safe driving from 20 to 40 years or more. The recipients for 2013 include five operators who celebrated more than 35 years of collision-free driving, and one operator who reached an impressive milestone of 42 years of collision-free driving.

“OC Transpo provides more than 100 million passenger trips each year while facing a range of challenges including traffic congestion, inclement weather, road construction, detours and a variety of emergency situations,” said the Chair of the Transit Commission. “Our operators are dedicated to customer service and to getting our residents and visitors to their destinations safely, no matter what the day brings.”

To qualify for a Safe Driving Award, operators must drive a bus in service for at least 1,000 collision-free hours every year. One thousand collision-free hours for a bus operator is comparable to an Ottawa resident driving their car for a minimum of 35,000 kilometres on city streets in one year.

“The Safe Driving Awards provide an opportunity to recognize the exceptional work of our operators, and allows us to honour some truly remarkable drivers who clearly demonstrate a strong commitment to customer service and the safety and well-being of our residents,” said John Manconi, General Manager of Transit Services.