Stan Clelland takes first in Utah 'bus rodeo'
Reprinted with permission of
The Herald Journal
September 25, 2009
Three Cache Valley drivers took home first place last weekend after attending a statewide transportation conference and competing in the “bus rodeo.”
Sam Tingey of the Cache Valley Transit District took first in the transit bus category; Stan Clelland of Options for Independence took first in the paratransit category; and Many Kienko of Options for Independence took first in the 15-passenger van category.
The Utah Rural Specialized Transportation Association, a statewide transportation association comprised of 31 organization, conducted its annual fall conference in park City Sept. 18 and 19. Twenty-one participants from 11 organizations participated in the rodeo, which tests various driving skills.
All three winners will compete in the Community Transportation Association of America’s national bus rodeo in Long Beach, Calif., in May 2010, representing that state of Utah.
The rodeo consists of a written and on-the-job skill test, CVTD spokeswoman Lisa Peterson said. Among many things, drivers are test on wheelchair securement, given a pre-driving inspection and must drive through a cone course.
In previous years, drivers from Cache Valley have fared well, Peterson said.
This is the second year Tingey and Kienko have won first place in their categories.
“I know that for us, we have sent many first-place winners for the transit bus division to nationals,” she said.
