Indiana INDOT Office of Transit members helped celebrate Indiana’s safe transit operators during an October ceremony.
Select operators within Indiana’s 5311 Rural Public Transportation Program received a Master Driver Award and/or Elite Master Driver Award at an October ceremony in Brown County.
The 5311 Program is formally known as the Formula Grants for Rural Areas, which provides federal funds to states and federally recognized Indian tribes to support public transportation in rural areas with populations of less than 50,000.
INDOT Office of Transit is the state office responsible for administering all 5311 funds awarded to recipients in order to assist with capital and operating expenses associated with public transportation services to employment, healthcare, shopping, and other essential services.
INDOT recognizes that operators who received these awards went above and beyond to keep their passengers safe. The Master Driver and Elite Master Driver program requires operators to reach Master Driver status and then additional criteria for the Elite Master Driver status. Required qualifications for both awards are as follows:
Master Driver & Elite Master Driver Award Program
Master Driver Award Qualifications: For a driver to achieve the Master Driver Award program status, drivers are required to attend the four core trainings (listed below), plus two other e-learning or training modules in two years to receive an award certificate and patch. All trainings are provided through the Indiana Rural Transit Assistance Program (also funded through the 5311 Program):
- Wheelchair securement
- Defensive driving
- Pre-trip inspections
- Emergency procedures/evacuation
Elite Master Driver Award Qualifications: The Elite Master Driver Award requires prior completion of the Master Driver program, which can still be obtained by simply attending the four-core training plus two other RTAP training modules or e-learning programs. Once Master Driver status is achieved, each driver must then maintain, per INDOT 5311 Program requirements, the four core training modules to achieve the Elite Master status:
Drivers must receive a score of no less than 90% on each class test and complete three other RTAP training classes, which may include e-learning programs such as:
- Customer service disability awareness
- Driver fatigue/stress management
- Dealing with difficult people
- Safety and security
Drivers have five years to complete the Elite Master Driver Program and cannot have a chargeable accident during that time. Upon successful completion of the program, a certificate and patch are awarded to each driver recognizing him or her as an Elite Master Driver. Finally, to maintain Elite Master Driver Status and receive additional patches, drivers are required to repeat the core training modules every five years and receive no less than 90% on core class tests.
Drivers receiving the Master Driver or Elite Master Driver award attended the annual Indiana Council on Specialized Transportation (INCOST) conference awards dinner, which this year took place in early October at the Brown County Inn in Nashville, Ind. Drivers were recognized at the dinner for their dedication and exemplary status and provided their certificate and the appropriate patch for their status.
Winners were:
Franklin County Public Transportation – Franklin County Senior Center
Robert Bell Jr. – Master Driver
Lawrence Frank – Elite Master Driver
Fulton County Transportation - Fulton County Council on Aging
Brenda Stevens – Master Driver
Huntingburg Transit System – Huntingburg County Council on Aging
April Clark – Master Driver
Bradley Craig – Elite Master Driver
Deanna Lange – Elite Master Driver
Jasper County Public Transit – Jasper County Community Services
Chelsea Budreau – Master Driver
Sarah Dykhuizen – Master Driver
Shelly Hill – Master Driver
Laci Wilson – Elite Master Driver
Knox County YMCA VanGo Public Transportation
Stewart Barnett – Elite Master Driver
Larry Bilskie – Master Driver
Randy Bishop – Master Driver
Robert Crock – Master Driver
Randy Hutchinson – Master Driver
Mona Kays – Master Driver
Brian Kellams – Elite Master Driver
Rebecca Pinnick – Elite Master Driver
Edward Yochum – Elite Master Driver
Kosciusko Area Bus Service (KABS) – Cardinal Services
Steve Covert – Master Driver
Karina Smith – Master Driver
Newton County Public Transit – Newton County Community Services
Trisha Drain – Elite Master Driver
Jimmie Kunis – Elite Master Driver
Thomas (Allen) Pierson Jr. – Master Driver
Virgil Von Tobel – Elite Master Driver
Dionne Wilson – Master Driver
Noble County Public Transit – Noble County Council on Aging
Toni Berhalter – Master Driver
Paul Cherry – Elite Master Driver
Ervin Graber – Elite Master Driver
Rachel Plummer – Master Driver
Nila Tucker – Master Driver
Orange County Public Transit – First Chance Center
Lisa Beasley – Elite Master Driver
Calvin Curry – Master Driver
Crystal Mattingly – Elite Master Driver
Stephen McCord – Elite Master Driver
Melissa Roach – Master Driver
Deborah Roberts – Master Driver
Chad Russell – Elite Master Driver
Nancy Wolfe – Elite Master Driver
ShelbyGo Public Transit – Shelby Senior Services
Easter Hall-Beyer– Elite Master Driver
Holly Schrank – Elite Master Driver
Starke County Public Transit – Starke County Community Services
Patrick Myers – Elite Master Driver
Gerald Shadrix – Elite Master Driver
Vigo County Transit – Thrive West Central
Bobbi Osborn – Master Driver
Matthew Tribble – Master Driver
Wabash County Public Transit – Living Well in Wabash County Council on Aging
Ralph Jeffries– Master Driver
Donald Novak – Master Driver
Rachel Plummer – Master Driver
Jeff Ravenscroft – Master Driver
Nila Tucker – Master Driver
Wells County Public Transit – Wells County Council on Aging
Lisa Aschliman – Master Driver
Kathy Burns – Elite Master Driver
Orval Plumlee – Elite Master Driver
Michael Reidenbach – Elite Master Driver
Jerry Reineck – Elite Master Driver
Frederick Wiles – Elite Master Driver
Whitley County Public Transit – Whitley County Council on Aging
Deborah Gates – Master Driver
Lori Miller – Master Driver
Sarah Ross – Master Driver
Thomas Smith – Master Driver
Amanda Starry – Master Driver
Rebecca Pinnick – Elite Master Driver
Edward Yochum, – Elite Master Driver
For more information about the 5311 Rural Transit Program, please see the INDOT Office of Transit website or contact INDOT’s 5311 Program Manager, Todd Jennings.
Jennings and 5311 Project Manager Amy Craft both said, “If it were not for our operators, our program would not exist.”