2024 Missouri Transit Operator Champions

Bruce Hollinsworth, SMTS (Long-Distance Medical)

Bruce began working at SMTS in May of 2022 as a driver for Washington County, Missouri. He quickly showed that he was a top-notch driver for the long-distance medical routes in the area. Bruce’s concern and compassion for his riders show how much his heart is in his work. He is always early and eager to start his day, and his supervisor has never received a single complaint about him. While Bruce’s position with SMTS is only part-time, he’s stated how much he loves his job and the people and hopes to one day be full-time.

Charles Park, Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority (CGCTA)

Charles Park works for Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority part-time. He is the first to help with minor vehicle repairs, train a new driver, and dispatch drivers if needed. Charles provides excellent customer service to our riders. His impeccable record with no customer complaints is a testament to his dedication to serving his community and caring for CGCTA riders.

Charrell DePree, Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority (CGCTA)

Charrell DePree has been a Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority employee for over 14 years. He is quick to help the riders with groceries, provides information about our service when asked, and never fails to offer a friendly conversation to anyone getting in his vehicle. He has also offered to work additional hours to cover shifts short on drivers to meet our riders’ transportation needs. He has had no accidents, no customer complaints, and over five customer compliments. He is a great ambassador for CGCTA and our mission.

Dan Langendoerfer, OATS Transit (Mid-Missouri Region – Columbia, MO)]

Dan has been with OATS since May 2018. His primary route includes our early morning dialysis trips in and around Boone County. Dan routinely starts his day at 4am to ensure our clients make it to their life sustaining dialysis appointments. He is always willing to work on holidays and during inclement weather. Dan truly exemplifies the spirit and dedication that make OATS Transit drivers so wonderful.

Eric Williams, KC Streetcar

KC Streetcar Operator Eric Williams has consistently shown himself to be a reliable, professional, and invaluable member of the KC Streetcar team. Eric has been a part of the KC Streetcar team since nearly the beginning, serving more than 7 years as a KC Streetcar Operator, and everyone knows Eric as a dependable teammate. He shows up, he gets the job done, and he does it with class. Eric works weekends (the busiest and most hectic shifts for the KC Streetcar) and operates in a calm and collected manner. He continues to step up as a leader during high-demand times including the covid-19 pandemic, Kansas City Chief’s Superbowl Parade, NFL Draft weekend, and boosted service for KC Current game days. Eric has an excellent safety and attendance record. Earlier this year, Eric’s quick reflexes saved a nearly dire situation when a young child stepped off the platform in front of an approaching Streetcar. Eric quickly and calmly brought the Streetcar to a stop and waited for the child to be brought back to safety. He remained composed during the frightening situation. Eric’s perfect safety record acts as a standard that other Operators are measured against. The KC Streetcar is lucky, and proud, to have Operator Williams on the team. We look forward to many more great years.

Frank Seiberlich, OATS Transit (Mideast Region – Washington, MO)

Frank Seiberlich has been with OATS Transit since January 2023, and in that time has absolutely stood out for his charisma. He has such a huge, caring heart. Frank primarily works with our elderly riders, and always goes the extra mile for them. He even helped connect one of our dialysis riders with someone who was selling a motorized wheelchair. She had been looking for a long time and only had so much money to spend. This motorized wheelchair helped her tremendously, since she is usually worn out after dialysis treatments, and the manual wheelchair had become too difficult to use. It is encouraging to see a driver go above and beyond to help our riders like that. Care like that comes from within.

Howard Nevins, OATS Transit (East Region – Fenton, Mo)

Howard has been driving for OATS since August 2021. He has truly become known for his excellent work, humorous outlook, and compassionate attention to his riders. Howard strives to do his best every day and it shows. He is reliable and hardworking, and we can always count on him to help wherever we need him. Multiple families have reached out to sing his praises, citing numerous times he went above and beyond to ensure the client had a safe and comfortable trip. One family pointed out that even their dog looks forward to seeing Howard and patiently waits on the wheelchair ramp every morning for the bus to arrive. Howard is a wonderful example of the client-focused service we ask drivers to provide.

Jaime Oestreich, SERVE, Inc.

Jaime Oestreich goes above and beyond for all of our riders. He has taken it upon himself to move a client out of an unsafe living environment on his own personal time, using his own personal vehicle over a weekend, as well as provide resources and household items to this particular client when they were having to start over. If a client is in need, he is the first to ask about what resources are available to the client and does his best to ensure those needs are met. Jaime does a lot of mission work with his church as well. He is a great asset to our community!

James Sturrock, SMTS (Workshops)

Although James is fairly new to SMTS, with only a year of experience, he has made an impression on many of the riders he encounters. James drives a local workshop route in Howell County, Missouri, for developmentally disabled individuals. He is very caring and compassionate toward his riders, truly appreciates the job, and takes his position seriously. He has a high level of accuracy when it comes to paperwork and trip sheets. His excellent knowledge of procedures and verbal communication skills allow him to train other new drivers easily. James is happy to fill in for other routes and various modes of transportation when necessary. His supervisor has received numerous calls about what a great driver he is and how he does a fantastic job while transporting clients.

Jerrell Woolford, Bi-State Development/Metro Transit (MetroLink)

LRV Operator Jerrell Woolford has been with Bi-State Development for eight (8) years. Operator Woolford has shown great pride in his position. He is a very professional and attentive individual. He shows outstanding customer service. He works well with his peers, and he goes above & beyond the call of duty. He has recently received his certification as a “Mentor” through the BSD/ATU Mentor Program in which he is very proud of. He continuously strives for “Excellence”.

Kimberly Quinn, Bi-State Development/Metro Transit (MetroBus)

Kim Quinn consistently demonstrates dedication, professionalism, and care as a MetroBus Operator. In her 18-year career with Bi-State Development, Kim has had no preventable accidents, no valid customer complaints, and an exemplary attendance record. Her leadership as a mentor and line instructor sets the standard for paying it forward to new operators. Kim’s ability to foster teamwork and her unwavering commitment to excellence raise the bar for what it means to be part of Metro Transit.

Loretta Law, City Utilities of Springfield (Fixed Route)

Noticing the small things can make the biggest difference in someone’s day.  On Saturday, May 4, Loretta noticed a family of four at a bus stop on a route that had just ended service for the day.  Loretta radioed to a supervisor to get the family assistance.  Loretta’s awareness and customer focus made an impact on a family and a great impression for public transportation.

Patty Robinson, OATS Transit (Northeast Region – Hannibal, MO)

Patty Robinson has been driving for OATS Transit since September 1999. She has seen many changes, and helped so many riders, during her 25 years with the company. Patty drives four different Intercity Express routes four days per week to either Columbia or St. Louis from various pick up points in northeast Missouri; she’s always able to get her riders to their appointments on time. She loves her job and has referred other applicants to apply for jobs as an OATS Transit driver. She is truly a dedicated driver who is well liked by her riders.

Paul Schuerger, SMTS (Non-Emergency Medical)

Paul began driving for SMTS in August of 2023 and transports riders for their non-emergency medical trips in Butler County, Missouri. He always comes to work with a positive attitude. This positive attitude helps him get along with even some of the most difficult riders. He is willing to help with any riders and always willing to help other drivers if they get behind. He even comes back to the office or calls to see if any drivers need help. He does anything around the office that needs to be done. This includes cleaning vehicles and the office (even scrubbing the toilet). Paul comes in on his day off to help when we are short-staffed, and this may be with just one day’s notice. His supervisor has never received any complaints about his driving, and Paul never complains about the things he is asked to accomplish. Paul is a wonderful driver and employee, a joy to work with. Paul is an asset to SMTS with his tremendously strong work ethic, positive attitude, and caring heart.

Peggy Taylor, OATS Transit (Midwest Region – El Dorado Springs, MO)

Peggy Taylor has been with OATS Transit for over 31 years. She originally started with the company in 1990, then left for a brief time, but she loved her job so much that she came back to work driving. Peggy is a Driver Trainer and routinely trains new drivers and helps with our quarterly training program. Peggy can be counted on to help anywhere she is needed and loved by all her riders.

Randy Bower, SMTS (Deviated Fixed Route Service)

Randy has been with SMTS for over two years. He started as a local paratransit driver in Butler County, Missouri, then moved to SMTS’s fixed route service, Connect. Randy’s supervisor describes him in one word: CONSISTENT. Consistency is vital for a route driver, and Randy has been consistent in many ways. Randy is consistently at work early, ready to take on whatever comes his way on the route. He is very good at consistently staying on time with the route schedule, making it easy to know where he is when people call with questions about timing or making request stops. He consistently treats people with kindness and does not show partiality toward riders. Randy consistently fills in when the other drivers need a day off.

Randy Hillyard, OATS Transit (Northwest Region – Bethany, MO)

Randy Hillyard has been with OATS Transit since October 2012 and resides in Bethany MO. Randy always goes above and beyond when taking care of his riders. He makes sure to have someone check on his riders when they don’t come to the door for their ride. He was credited with saving the life of one of his riders by alerting the workshop office when he failed to get a response. Randy has taken care of workshop riders in Northwest Missouri for over 12 years.

Ray Wallace, Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA)

Ray continuously demonstrates his commitment to going above and beyond by going the extra mile to greet passengers and taking pride in helping them arrive to their destinations in a safe and timely manner. In his nearly 30 years of driving, Ray has never received a customer complaint. It is no surprise that his passengers refer to him as family, as he exemplifies a friendly, professional and calm demeanor at all times. Even when faced with challenges on board, Ray quickly assesses situations and anticipates conflict resolution strategies before incidents escalate. Ray is also an excellent mentor and transit ambassador, working with staff during outreach events, and sharing success stories and advice with his peers.

Rick Painter, OATS Transit (Southwest Region – Aurora, MO)

Rick has been with OATS Transit since 2021, primarily driving a route that takes individuals with developmental disabilities to work, music and art therapy, day programs, and life skills classes. Rick often shares his passion for working with his riders with potential drivers, or drivers in training who occasionally shadow him on his route. He always makes sure that his riders are taken care of and takes on an informal mentoring role with new drivers in his area. When Rick isn’t working for OATS Transit, he is usually “working” for his wife, Lynda, who is director of the Barry Lawrence County Development Center, which provides education and therapy services to children with disabilities.

Sean Driscoll, JeffTran

Sean Driscoll is a 28 year veteran of JeffTran. In the past year Sean has worked hard at maintaining the Gold Route for JeffTran. He provides great customer service to his passengers. He takes great pride in giving a safe, friendly and timely ride to his passengers.  Also, in the past year, JeffTran has introduced Gillig Hybrid buses to our fleet. Sean has embraced the challenge of operating one of these buses. He has put a lot of effort into learning about the bus and how to drive the bus efficiently.

Shane Johnson, OATS Transit (West Region – Grain Valley, MO)

Shane Johnson started with OATS Transit in December 2020 as a driver in our West Region. He was promoted to a driver trainer and serves as a mentor to our driving staff. Shane is a driver trainer who leads by example. He helps conduct driver training, does ride a-longs with his peers, and anything else that is needed. Our drivers and office staff respect Shane and look to him for answers. Shane told other drivers in his training class that he gives his personal number to drivers and encourages them to call him if they have any questions. If he can’t answer them, he will find someone who will.

Sibyl Nanney, SMTS (Paratransit, Local Service)

Sibyl has worked for SMTS for nearly nine years. Sibyl is one of our local paratransit drivers who transports the residents of Bollinger County, Missouri. She also drove a school bus for 36 years before joining the team at SMTS. With nearly 45 years of serving public transportation needs, she knows what is necessary to ensure the route operates efficiently, and the rider’s needs are met. Sibyl cares deeply about the people she serves, and it’s reflected in the relationships she has established with her riders over the years. Riders in her area routinely request that she be their driver. Her reputation is one of excellent service and a positive attitude to those in need.

Stephen Duff, City Utilities of Springfield (Paratransit)

On Friday, May 17 City Utilities Transit was contacted to respond to a housing facility in conjunction with the Springfield Fire Department.  The building was being evacuated for non-working elevators and residents were being transported to short term residence.  Stephen Duff provided transportation in a stressful situation for the residents and was able to assist them with compassion and professionalism.

Takesha Standford, Bi-State Development/Metro Transit (Call-A-Ride)

Takesha Standford is an exceptional Call-A-Ride operator who has served with Bi-State Development since 2017. During her tenure, Takesha took on the role of line instructor and assisted in training new operators. In the past year, Takesha received 12 compliments from customers detailing her exemplary service. Takesha works additional hours when needed and is always willing to go the extra mile to assist customers, fellow team members, and our dispatch team.

Vickie Thomas, SERVE, Inc.

Vickie goes above and beyond for each and every rider. Whether it be helping someone into the doctor or carrying in groceries for clients, Vickie always goes the extra mile. She even helps riders with things outside of work hours.