Congratulations to Jerry
Goodman who received runner up for Driver
of the Year by the Florida Public Transportation Association
(FPTA). Mr. Goodman was presented the award last week at a special ceremony
during FPTA's annual conference, which took place this year in Daytona Beach.
Mr. Goodman has been with HART
for 28 years, starting off as a service attendant and then getting behind the
wheel a year later.
"My supervisor had come to
me at the time about the opportunity to drive the bus," Goodman said.
"I thought, well, if I don't like it, I can always go back to being a
service attendant." He never went back.
Mr. Goodman is one of a handful
of HART employees to reach 2 million miles of safe driving. He marked this
milestone earlier this year. On average, it takes about 14 years for a bus
operator to reach 1 million miles of driving without a preventable accident.
Working at HART almost since
its inception, Mr. Goodman has witnessed its many changes. In fact, he was one
of the operators to initiate the streetcar system when it opened in 2002 and
drove as a streetcar operator for about five years.
"It seems like HART has
become more service-oriented over the years," Mr. Goodman said in
summarizing the agency's direction over his time here. "The best part of
my job is helping a customer get from Point A to Point B."
On weekdays, customers will find Mr. Goodman operating Routes 5
and 53LX. A native of Tampa and graduate of Plant High School, Mr. Goodman now
lives in Brandon with his wife of 35 years.
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