News from King County Transportation
Release date:
Sept. 29, 2005
Metro
‘Driver of the Year’ is a customer
favorite above and below ground
For 27
years, bus driver David Alexander has been a role model for
King County Metro Transit. He has a
long-time safe-driving record. He cares for his customers. And, he never
tires of helping people get where they need to go. For all those reasons,
and more, his peers have chosen Alexander as the
2004 Metro
Operator of the Year.
“Dave drives to serve,” says one of his
supervisors. “He truly enjoys the role of helping people.”
It’s been a hectic past few weeks for Metro,
as staff prepared for the closure of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel.
So, it is fitting that this year’s honoree is a veteran tunnel-route driver
whose excellence shines both above and below ground.
Alexander, 63, is extremely popular with his
passengers on the Routes 71, 72 and 73, which serve Downtown Seattle, the
University District and North Seattle, and formerly operated in the tunnel.
Over the years, customers have written letters to Metro urging that
Alexander receive some sort of special recognition. This is a typical
commendation:
“I have taken many, many bus rides in
North Seattle over the past 30 years,”
wrote a Metro customer. “A great many
have been with a driver named Dave.
"Dave’s courtesy, reliability and safety
over these many rides has been so consistent, and so consistently
impressive, that I feel this compliment is long overdue. There is no
single incident I would like to commend, just 30 years of exceptional
work.”
Other customers have praised Alexander for
his friendliness and willingness to answer any question. They also noted he
has a cool demeanor when dealing with difficult passengers.
Metro employs more than 2,500
bus operators who do all they can to help riders reach their destinations
safely and efficiently. Since 1978, the drivers themselves have selected the
best of their peers to hold the title of Metro Transit’s Operator of the
Year.
The annual
award honors operators who demonstrate safe driving skills, exceptional
customer service, and an outstanding overall work record. In order to
receive the award, a driver must be chosen as Operator of the Month from one
of the seven transit bases. At the end of the year, the Operator of the Year
is selected by a vote of all fellow Operators of the Month.
"Passengers
and co-workers all enjoy Dave's helpful, patient, easy-going, and humorous
manner, which he uses to his advantage to provide outstanding service," said
Metro Transit General Manager Kevin Desmond. "Dave is a great example of all
our bus operators who have to deliver the service day in and day out. When
all is said and done, they are the ones responsible for the high marks in
customer satisfaction Metro consistently receives from its passengers."
Alexander was honored today in
a surprise ceremony at Metro’s South Training Center in Tukwila, which was
also attended by members of his family – including brother Paul, who is a
Metro transit planner. He was “tricked” into coming to his surprise party
when supervisors asked him to attend a meeting to discuss good
customer-relations techniques. They knew he couldn’t resist that invitation.
When asked to make a few
comments at the end of the ceremony, Alexander instead chose to hold an
impromptu question-and-answer session.
He attended Sealth High School in West Seattle, and after
graduating he joined the Marine Corps for four years where he spent time in
Japan. Alexander starting driving for Metro in June 1978, and met his wife,
Nancy, when she was a passenger on his bus in the University District. They
now live in North Seattle.
When they have time off, Alexander and his
wife enjoy camping – and their rig is just a few feet shy of being as “big
as a bus.” Their 25-foot luxury camper trailer has all the comforts of
home, including a deluxe kitchen, which allows them to go on extended trips
in style.
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