Oct. 26, 2004

For more information contact:
Donna Johnson
515-233-7875

CyRide bus operator receives national recognition for driving skills

AMES, Iowa – Paul Klimesh, a bus operator for the city of Ames, CyRide, claimed second place in the 29th International "Bus Roadeo" held in conjunction with the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. The winners of this prestigious competition were announced at an awards dinner Oct. 10.

Klimesh said, "I wasn’t sure how well I would fare in the rankings as there were many very skilled competitors. However, I was confident that I gave it my personal best and was pleased with my performance on the obstacle course. It was nice that someone from a small transit system was able to win at nationals. Last time I ranked in sixth place. It felt really good to score as well as I did this time and reach my goal of placing in the top five rankings. I guess I’ll have to set my goal for first place next time I have an opportunity to compete at the national level."

The International Roadeo is designed to encourage excellence and professionalism in bus transit operations. A total of 114 teams, comprised of more than 260 competitors from North America’s finest bus transit systems, participated. The APTA Operators’ Competition measures professional skills including: driving ability as measured on an obstacle course; knowledge of safety regulations; bus equipment; and personal appearance. Top honor in the 35-foot class Bus Operator Competition went to Jimmy Gibbs of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). Competition was very close between first and second place. Klimesh’s score was just nine points shy of Gibbs score of 605, yet forty points more than the third place competitor.

To qualify for the national competition, Klimesh first had to earn top honors in the 18th Annual Public Transit Roadeo held in Cedar Falls last June. His win in the large bus division gave Klimesh the opportunity to compete at the national level with a state-sponsored transit fellowship. Klimesh has won the competition several times in the past.

The Iowa Public Transit Association and Iowa DOT’s Office of Public Transit jointly sponsor the state’s roadeo with funding from a Federal Transit Administration training program. Sixty-two operators from around the state competed at the statewide bus roadeo. Mark Wandro, Director of the Iowa DOT said "Iowa’s transit systems do an excellent job in driver training and helping them enhance their professional skills to provide safe and efficient public transportation. Bus operators competing at the statewide competition are excited about the opportunity to showcase their driving skills and the chance to represent Iowa at the national competitions."

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(For more information, contact: Donna Johnson, Iowa DOT's Office of Public Transit, at 515-233-7875 or donna.johnson@dot.iowa.gov; or Karen Jamison, kjamison@cyride.com; or Barb Neal, bneal@cyride.com, at Cy-Ride, telephone number 515-292-1105.)