PDRTA brings home honors at recent state competition
Operators and mechanics from PDRTA, which serves Darlington County and several other Pee Dee counties, shined on March 5 during the 2022 Annual TASC/SCDOT Transit Bus Maintenance and Bus Roadeo competition in Hilton Head.
The Roadeo is divided into four separate events: Maintenance, Van, Cut-Away, and 35-foot bus categories.
The driving competitions require safety and accuracy on obstacle courses and are designed to promote safe and competitive driving among vehicle operators. The maintenance competition includes equipment troubleshooting, coordination, collaboration, and information sharing.
PDRTA walked away with first place awards in the Maintenance and 35-foot competitions.
Don Strickland, PDRTA Executive Director, is pleased with this year’s showing. “PDRTA drivers continue to perform better each year and we look forward to going to the national competition in May. PDRTA has a talented team of operators and maintenance staff who are always focused on safety and hold themselves to a higher standard of performance.”
Here is a breakdown of this year’s winners from PDRTA: First place – Maintenance: Bo Flowers, Marquis Graham, Ricky Wright. First place — 35-Foot: Mitchell Brantley.
In addition to the Roadeo Awards, PDRTA leadership was recognized.
TASC named PDRTA Board Chairman James Jackson as 2022 TASC Board Member of the Year: Urban.
Jackson, a Darlington native, serves in his second term and continues to share the vision of PDRTA and its future goals.
Strickland was presented with the 2022 Transit Advocate of the Year Award. Jackson said: “There is no one more dedicated to the importance and value of public transit within our communities. Don is open, transparent and authentic. PDRTA is fortunate to have Don Strickland at the helm; transit even more so to have him advocating on its behalf.”
Pee Dee Regional Transportation Authority was established in the early 1970s as the first transit authority in the state.
In addition to the Florence Transit bus route, PDRTA serves the community with demand-response transportation, commuter routes from rural areas to the Grand Strand, and scheduled public routes throughout the region. It currently serves Chesterfield, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Marion, and Marlboro counties.