FROM THE EDITOR
Cheers to safety records that span millions of miles
T
his is to softly announce the 2013 BUSRide Safe Driver Hall of Fame and put a match under the feet of private and public operators to honor their standout veterans with a nomination for this industrywide recognition. Providing value and security to employers and passengers, the BUSRide Safe Driver Hall of Fame inductees set high standards for all bus and coach drivers, and demonstrate on a daily basis that accident-free driving is an exemplary feat that is attainable over millions of miles. It is my pleasure to introduce our first two candidates with sterling safety records over millions of miles accrued through their years of exemplary service. From Alberta, Canada, Ron Wickstrand has been behind the wheel of a motorcoach for the better part of 48 years. He began his career in 1965 driving charter tours for Brewsters Tours and moved to Diversified Transportation in Edmonton to transport workers to the oil fields. He found his home in 1975 with Pacific Western Transportation driving part-time, handling charters tours throughout the western United States and any overloads that came along. Wickstrand is one of the original drivers who climbed aboard when Bob Colborne launched the Red Arrow in 1988 to deliver daily high-end luxury coach service between Calgary, Deer Creek, Edmonton and Ft. McMurry. For the past 15 years he has captained the 6 a.m. roundtrip from Edmonton to Calgary. In his career to date, Wickstrand estimates he has easily logged over five million safe miles. Irvin Foret, a veteran bus driver based in Louisiana, thinks enough of Erica Charles’ driving talents and accident-free safety record over around 28 years to date, that he phoned in his nomination for her place in the Hall of Fame. Charles spent much of her career driving motorcoaches for Calco Travel before moving into public transit, driving buses for New Orleans RTA. She is now racking up the miles in Baton Rouge, driving for the Capital Area Transit System (CATS). BUSRide will honor the newest Safe Driver Hall of Fame inductees in the December issue. Nominations are open and we want to hear from you. Tell us about the bus and coach drivers within your organization who have safely notched a million miles or more maneuvering along city streets and the open highway. Do not miss this opportunity to share their stories with BUSRide readers.
Publisher / Editor in Chief Steve Kane steve@busride.com Associate Publisher Sali Williams swilliams@busride.com Editor David Hubbard david@busride.com Managing Editor Richard Tackett rtackett@busride.com Art Director Stephen Gamble sgamble@theproducersinc.com Account Executives Andy Pieri apieri@busride.com Production Director Valerie Valtierra valerie@busride.com Accountant Fred Valdez fvaldez@powertrademedia.com Contributing Writers Doug Jack, Matthew A. Daecher, Christopher Ferrone
BUS industry SAFETY council
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David Hubbard Editor Busride Magazine 6
BUSRIDE | J U LY. 2013
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