CyRide driver places first and wins Rookie of the Year in national competition
An Ames CyRide bus driver, Nathan Shimanek, reached the top position in his first national bus driving competition by beating out 68 other competitors to win a first place award and to be honored as Rookie of the Year.
The Community Transportation Association of America’s 25th Annual National Bus Roadeo in its small bus division held recently in St. Paul, Minnesota, representing both CyRide and the State of Iowa as the overall state roadeo winner last summer. This competition is the ultimate test of a bus operator’s driving skills requiring operators to maneuver their bus through simulated on-street obstacles such as 90 degree right- and left–hand turns, reverse movements, and in close proximity to the curb, as well as completing a written test and pretrip bus inspection to identify bus defects and safety hazards.
Out of a total of 1,000 possible points, Shimanek received 881. For his outstanding efforts, Nathan received two trophies – first place and Rookie of the Year, as well as a cash award.
“We are very proud of Nathan and recognize the great job that he does in safely providing service to Ames residents and Iowa State University students each and every day. He is an outstanding role model for his peers at CyRide as well as around the state and highlights the great job drivers, dispatchers, and trainers do in delivering quality service to our customers,” said Sheri Kyras, CyRide transit director.
Nathan’s next roadeo endeavor will be to attend the State of Iowa’s Bus Roadeo in two weeks in Davenport, Iowa, for another opportunity to represent transit in next year’s national competition.