Cincinnati Metro, a service of the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority, had a stellar safety year in 2018. While providing about 14 million rides throughout the Greater Cincinnati area, Cincinnati Metro:

• Reduced overall preventable accidents by 20% 
• Reduced collisions by 80% 
• Had zero lost-time injuries in maintenance 

At a recent Safety and Employees of the Year Awards Luncheon – the organization’s 46th annual – more than 100 employees who helped achieve those milestones were honored.

Two operators, Reginald Brown, a 32-year employee and Steven Rolfes, a 31-year employee, were inducted into the National Safety Council’s prestigious “Two Million Mile Club” for driving two million miles each without an accident. (Brown and Rolfes are pictured above, photo from Cincinnati Metro). Two million miles is like driving to the moon and back four times without an accident and is a feat achieved by only a tenth of transit operators nationwide over the course of their career. 

Milestone awards were also given to employees who achieved between five and 35 years without a preventable accident or injury. A preventable accident is one in which the operator did not exercise every available precautionary measure to avoid the accident. 

Eighteen employees were recognized for achieving 10 years without a preventable accident within their first 13 years with the transit agency. Twenty-one employees were celebrated for having reached 10 consecutive years without a preventable accident or injury. Thirteen employees were honored for 15 or more years free of accidents or injuries. 

“We have outstanding employees here at Cincinnati Metro, as demonstrated by the incredible milestones that more than 100 of our employees have achieved this year,” said Darryl Haley, Cincinnati Metro Interim CEO and General Manager. “We take great pride in the confidence our riders have in us to get them to their destination safely every day. It’s the hard work and the commitment of our employees that instills that confidence.” 

Employees of the Year 

Cincinnati Metro also honored its Employees of the year, Denise Dangerfield and Maury V. Dardy Sr., in operations and Cassandra Wilkins and Dennis Schardine, in maintenance. 

To be selected as one of Cincinnati Metro’s Employees of the Year, operators and maintenance employees must meet several job-specific criteria related to performance and professionalism, including no accidents, complaints or discipline, as well as maintaining positive on-time performance.