45 years of safe driving: OC Transpo celebrates its outstanding employees
![OC Transpo OC Transpo](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2019/11/26/oc-transpo-1-4702997-1632854160778.jpg)
OC Transpo celebrated its outstanding employees on Sunday at Ben Franklin Place for their remarkable service.
The employees were honoured by Councillor Glen Gower, Chair of the Transit Commission who was joined by other city councillors and senior staff, said OC Transpo in a news release on Sunday.
Two bus operators received the Safe Driving Award for driving more than 35 years without an at-fault accident, including one with 45 years, the longest active safe driving record at OC Transpo.
"Achieving milestones of up to 45 years of safe driving speaks volumes about their commitment to our community’s’ safety," Ottawa Mayor, Mark Sutcliffe said in the release.
OC Transpo adds 24 others were honoured for reaching 20, 25, 30 and 35 years of safe driving.
"Every day OC Transpo employees do an amazing job, often under challenging circumstances. As city employees who spend their days on neighbourhood streets, they continually safeguard the well-being of the community. They reunite lost children with their parents, provide aid to residents in crisis, and maintain a constant vigilance on behalf of their passengers and neighbours. I applaud them for maintaining such high standards," Gower said in the release.
The transportation unit also honoured fifteen employees at the 37th annual Transecure Awards ceremony for going above and beyond to help passengers in 2023.
Kirk Joseph is among those employees. He was named the Transecure Employee of the Year after saving a child from choking while on his route.
“He heard a passenger’s call for help and discovered a child choking on a piece of candy. He successfully performed the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge the candy from the child’s airway allowing them to breathe normally,” reads the release.
Eighty-seven Transecure calls were made by OC Transpo employees in 2023, bringing the total number of calls to 12,109 since the program’s inception in 1987.
Details for all the monthly winning calls are available on octranspo.com.
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