Community Transit driver Geri Buttke was named Coach Operator of the Quarter for the second quarter of 2009, the agency recently announced.
Buttke has been one of the agency’s most dependable drivers for the past two years. She has received all four possible reliability awards in the past year for no unexcused absences. She has no preventable accidents and regularly volunteers for overtime.
She also received a commendation for driving through last December’s long period of snow and ice.
Public transportation has long been a part of Buttke’s life, even though she’s only been a Community Transit driver for about two years. Her husband, the late Keith McMillan, was a coach operator and supervisor for the agency.
After McMillan passed away, Buttke remarried and moved to Southeast Asia, then returned to the area. She was thinking about going back to work when her daughters made a suggestion.
“They said I should go to work at Community Transit like Dad did,” Buttke said in a press release. “Transit has been a part of my life for many years. I love it. It’s great.”
Driving a bus is enjoyable for many reasons, Buttke said. She gets to meet a variety of people and she can pick her own schedule.
She generally works a split shift; driving in the morning, having a break, then driving again in the afternoon. That break allows her time for shopping, exercising or working around her Everett home.
“It’s like your own little office on the road,” she said. “Obviously it would not work for everyone, but I enjoy driving through the seasons, seeing the leaves change, seeing the sunsets.”
The Coach Operator of the Quarter is selected based on driving skills, no preventable accidents in the past 12 months, customer service, attendance and other criteria. Community Transit selects its Coach Operator of the Year from among the quarterly winners.
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