Keeping An Eye Out For The Community

To provide a better situation for this family, Anthony made the career move of stepping behind the wheel of a bus. On a route a few weeks ago, he stepped off of one to help someone else’s family.

While operating TARTA's Route 18 near Brooke Park Apartments, Anthony noticed a girl without a coat walking in the middle of a busy street.

“I kept thinking about my daughter and how I wouldn’t want her to get hurt, because she was just kind of wandering and it was very dangerous,” Anthony said. “I pulled over and one of the passengers helped me get her out of the road and talk to her a little. She wasn’t really dressed for the weather, so we were all concerned.”

The child told Anthony she was hungry, and was trying to walk to the Burger King on Alexis Road.

Anthony contacted his Transportation Supervisor, who contacted authorities. Anthony then waited with the girl for the police to arrive and assisted in walking her back home, while dispatch sent a relief driver to take over Route 18.

“That Burger King is a long walk from where we were,” Anthony said. “I’m just glad we were able to get to her and figure the situation out before she was hurt, because that street can get busy, and Alexis is very busy. You just don’t like to think about what could have happened.”

Anthony said that his training at TARTA prepared him for all aspects of being an Operator. While that certainly meant a lot of time on the road and a focus on safe and reliable transportation, it also meant learning how to help the community, on and off the bus.

“You do see some wild things, but it’s something (trainers) work to prepare you for,” Anthony said. “You never know what you’re going to see as a driver and you never know what someone is going through, so you have to be prepared for a little bit of everything.

“Of course, during training, you hear about the technical things and how important safety is, but you also hear about connecting with the people you meet. Beyond just being patient with the passengers on the bus and other issues, it’s about being part of the community and caring for that community. That’s something our training team really brings home.”

TARTA is proud of its tremendous team of Operators, and that its team includes so many people like Anthony who continue to go above and beyond expectations every day.