Veteran Mountain Lift operator Bernice Tullie took home the top prize at the recent Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) Rural and Tribal Transportation Roadeo.
Tullie’s victory marks NAIPTA’s first-ever win at the Transportation Roadeo, which gives bus operators from systems across the state the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and knowledge at an elevated level.
Tullie took fifth place in the competition last year, but her work on the written test, pre-trip inspection test, wheelchair securement, and skills course earned her the top prize in 2012.
“The 2012 Rural Transit Roadeo was quite a challenge,” said Dan Harrigan, ADOT program manager of the Rural Transit Assistance Program. “For the first time in several months, it rained, and for the first time in several years, it hailed. Bernice Tullie had no problem handling the conditions and took first place, dethroning two-time champion Shawn Silas from the Hopi Transit.”
As the state champion, Tullie will represent Arizona at the national competition during the annual Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) conference in Baltimore, MD on May 19-20.
“NAIPTA has tremendously high standards for our operators and Bernice is an incredible representative of this organization,” said NAIPTA General Manager Jeff Meilbeck. “Bernice’s victory was truly a team effort and speaks to the value we put on safety, which impacts our customers and community on a daily basis.”
NAIPTA is the transit agency in Northern Arizona operating the Mountain Line, Mountain Lift and Mountain Link systems in Flagstaff, Cottonwood Area Transit (CAT) in Cottonwood, and the Verde Lynx between Cottonwood and Sedona. NAIPTA also coordinates services with Campus Shuttle Service at Northern Arizona University Contact 928-779-6624 or HYPERLINK “http://www.naipta.az.gov” www.naipta.az.gov for more information.
