IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                            Contact: Jean Leier (704) 432-0496         

CATS BUS OPERATORS TAKE TOP HONORS AT STATE BUS ROADEO

Charlotte, N.C., June 2, 2008 -  After an intense competition with transit agencies from across the state, the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) is pleased to announced it swept all top place finishes at this weekend's North Carolina Public Transportation Association's (NCPTA) Annual Bus Roadeo held in Wilmington.
 
In the system-wide category, the team consisting of bus operators Lonny Earnhardt, Junior Bush and Carmen Aleman beat out the competition to give CATS top honors as the best overall transit agency in the Roadeo.  "This is a great honor and proof that our drivers are among the best in the state," said Steve Keiper, General Manager of CATS'  Bus Operations Division (BOD).  "The competition was tough, but in the end the safety training and constant retraining that we give our operators gave us the advantage and shows our commitment to keeping our customers and employees safe and secure."
 
Bus operators Lonny Earnhardt and Junior Bush also took home individual wins placing first and second place, respectively, in the bus competition. Earnhardt will go on to compete in the American Public Transportation Association's (APTA) International Bus Roadeo next May in Seattle, Washington.
 
CATS' Special Transportation Services (STS) bus operator team consisting of Henry Minnett, Linville Plexico and Phillip Underwood defeated the competition, earning CATS the title of best overall system in the Light Transit Vehicles category.   Minnett also won first place in the individual competition and will compete on the national level at the Community Transportation Association of America's annual Roadeo next year.
 
"STS operators are trained to deal with a variety of situations from passengers with special needs to inclement weather to erratic drivers on the road," said Pete Wallace, General Manager of CATS' STS. "Our attention to safety has paid off, not only on the roadways, but in this competition." 

CATS emphasis on safety has dramatically decreased its preventable accident rate.  CATS ended fiscal year 2007 with an overall decrease in the system-wide vehicular accident rate of 0.55 per hundred thousand miles; a 25 percent reduction over FY06's rate of 0.74 per hundred thousand miles.  And year-to-date since April 2008, CATS overall preventable accident rate is 0.39.

"As we travel more miles each year with an increasing number of passengers, it is crucial that we constantly emphasize safety because CATS operators, just like all drivers, never know what they're going to encounter when they hit the streets," said Jim Zingale, CATS'  Chief Operations Officer. "The Bus Roadeo is just one way that we show are commitment to safety, while giving operators the chance to demonstrate their safe-driving skills on a local, state and national level."
 
To learn more about CATS and its services, please call 704-336-RIDE or visit www.ridetransit.org.