A Rides Mass Transit District driver was able to earn high praise at a recent national safety competition. Jill Lyons placed 34th out of a total of 83 participants at the Community Transportation Association of America National Roadeo June 11 in Detroit.Participants were judged in a written test, along with the pre-trip inspection, driving and wheelchair securement categories.
Lyons, who was making her first appearance at the national competition, had qualified for the event after winning the overall state competition in central Illinois in late April.
A resident of Harrisburg, Lyons has been a lead driver at the Saline County RMTD operations center for the past three years.
“We are extremely proud of Jill’s accomplishments and how she was able to represent our organization,” said RMTD Chief Operations Officer Debra King. “Safety is always a top priority when we are transporting the general public on a daily basis. It’s a tremendous privilege for Jill to be able to accomplish what she has and to showcase her skills which are such an important part of our daily operations.”
Over half of the field at the event in Detroit were first-time participants.
“It was an awesome experience, and I was able to learn a lot,” said Lyons. “I want to let our drivers know that you can be brand new at this and still be able to succeed. If you’re a really good driver, and if you can be safe and be careful, this could be your reward.”
Rides Mass Transit District is the largest rural transportation provider in Illinois, serving 18 counties. Each year, its fleet travels nearly 3.7 million miles and transports over 685,000 residents. More information about RMTD can be found by heading to its official website, ridesmtd.com.
