Chicago Transit Authority bus operator Jairo Naranjo won two awards at the 34th Annual Bus Roadeo held last week in Seattle, WA. The Roadeo was held in conjunction with the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) Bus and Paratransit Conference.
As part of the Roadeo, Naranjo was named the first place winner in the fourth annual Customer Service Challenge Awards – with a perfect score. After qualifying for the competition from an interview with judges, contestants were judged on professionalism, customer service skills and problem-solving creativity.
Naranjo also was awarded third place in the Pre-Trip Inspection Competition.
"We’re very proud of Mr. Naranjo's accomplishments and of his tremendous customer service skills," said CTA President Richard L. Rodriguez. "The CTA is looking at ways that we can better cultivate and develop these same skills with all our front line employees."
Naranjo has been working at the CTA as a bus operator since November 1999. Working out of the Forest Glen garage, he qualified to compete in this week's competition by placing first in CTA's Bus Roadeo last summer. Naranjo has competed in the CTA Bus Roadeo since 2003 and in addition to last year, he has taken first-place honors in 2004, 2006 and 2007. These CTA Roadeo wins have qualified him to compete in the APTA Roadeo in each of these four years.
This June, the CTA will host the 17th Annual APTA International Rail Rodeo held in conjunction with the APTA Rail Conference. This competition will feature rail operator and maintenance teams from transit agencies across North America.
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