(Kansas City, Mo. – March 15, 2013)
The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) is encouraging people to celebrate “Bus Driver Appreciation Day” on Monday, March 18. Driving a Metro bus isn’t an easy job, but the best drivers make it look that way. Metro bus drivers provided more than 16 million trips last year, getting people to work, school, shopping and medical appointments. We are asking Kansas City to say “Thank you” to a bus driver on March 18.
Help us get the word out
KCATA encourages all riders to join us in celebrating our hard-working bus drivers. On International Bus Driver Appreciation Day, please make a point of saying “Thank you.” Printable cards are available atbusdriverday.org. For those who don’t ride on March 18, a “Thank you” or a card is welcome anytime.
Riders can also send in a compliment for an operator at http://www.kcata.org/about_kcata/entries/contact_form/ or by calling 816-221-0660 weekdays between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Why our riders say “Thanks”
The recent snow storms made customers especially appreciative of their drivers. Here’s a sample of their messages:
Debra told us, “Thank you to Shirley, our 51 route driver. She has done a great job in the face of the storm!”
Kendra said, “Thanks to Bob, the driver for the 142. He got me home safely last night, no problems.”
And Lynn told us, “I would like to express my appreciation for the phenomenal job of one of your drivers. She drove the 28-Blue Ridge. Carolyn was very polite and made excellent choices in finding an alternative route. The ride home was surreal. The number of vehicles stranded on our roads reminded me of a Mad Max movie. Carolyn was never in any danger of getting stuck. Her performance was commendable.”
But we also receive comments frequently about the day-in, day-out quality service that our more than 450 bus drivers provide. Customers appreciate a smile as they board the bus, watchful drivers who always have an eye on traffic, and the drivers who help blind passengers cross the street.
Why March 18?
International Bus Driver Appreciation Day was started by transit riders in Seattle in 2009. Hans Gerwitz and Shannon Thomas wrote a blog post that inspired the International Bus Driver Appreciation Day movement. They chose March 18 because it was on that day in 1662, bus service began in Paris.