September 2003 APTA
Metro mechanics crowned the best of the best
Three mechanics from King County Metro Transit walked away with the top honors at an international competition held last weekend in Salt Lake City.
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) [external link] International Roadeo was held September 26-28. There were 44 teams of mechanics competing in the maintenance team event representing the "best of the best" from the United States and Canada. Metro's team of Ryan Stringfellow, Leonard Emry, and Larry Fitzpatrick finished first, with a total score of 950 points.
"This King County Metro team has been training and competing together for six years," said Jim Boon, the manager of Metros Vehicle Maintenance unit. "Their energy and expertise has brought a lot of pride to our maintenance shops and the entire Metro organization. They are a great example of the high quality of our transit maintenance personnel."
The competition included troubleshooting events with two different drive systems, vehicle brake components, and a coach inspection. The teams also took a written knowledge test. The combined score of these events determined the winners.
In addition to the mechanics, Metro bus driver Michael Grady finished 35th in the driving competition. With the combined operator and maintenance team score of 1464 points, Metro finished third in the overall transit agency competition.
Watch a 2:10 minute video clip:
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