MCAT receives highest safety honor from Florida Public Transportation Association

  • Nov 15, 2010

MCAT Manager voted secretary of FPTA during recent conference

MANATEE COUNTY, FL (Nov. 15, 2010) – The Florida Public Transportation Association (FPTA) recently bestowed its highest safety honor on Manatee County Area Transit.

MCAT won the First Place 2010 Safety Award, among similar sized systems, with its innovative and proactive safety and training programs. MCAT had no chargeable accidents – those that were that were caused by or could have been prevented by MCAT operators – in 1,904,529 miles.


“MCAT and its staff … showed remarkable leadership in working so aggressively with its staff and drivers to create one of the best safety programs of any transit agency anywhere,” said Wes Watson, FPTA Executive Director. “We were very glad to recognize them as among the best of the best in Florida transit at our recent annual conference. It’s a job well done.”


The award was presented during the FPTA’s annual conference last month. It is the sixteenth time in 33 years MCAT has received first place in the category.


“We had another stellar year having no chargeable accidents during the reporting year,” said MCAT Manager Ralf Heseler. “We have an excellent training program done by our Safety and Training Coordinator Kevin Sheerin. We do constant monitoring and reminders. Also, our drivers take their jobs very seriously. They want to be the best they can be. They strive to get this award.”


Heseler described MCAT’s operator training program as a consolidated, one-on-one program that allows the instructor to take student operators on the bus to provide extensive training for all of MCAT’s transit services: fixed route, paratransit and trolley.


“Sheerin does a sit-down with trainees, shows them videos, takes them on the bus and drives them around,” Heseler said. “He takes it very, very seriously. He does not release you onto the road until you can handle any vehicle, any route and any type of service.


“We are proud of this achievement and I thank all our drivers, supervisors, the Safety and Training Coordinator and Superintendent Mark Betti for their efforts toward this accomplishment,” Heseler said.


Also during the conference, Heseler was voted Secretary of FPTA’s Executive Committee for the coming year.


For more information on MCAT, visit online at www.mymanatee.org/mcat or call Heseler at (941) 747-8621, ext. 7440.