The Truth Staff
Ten new operators joined the TARTA team on Thursday June 20 during a graduation ceremony at the transit authority’s paratransit facility on Knapp Street. The new fixed-route operators have taken more than 300 hours of training in preparation for their new careers.
“It’s empowering people to make connections,” said Laura Koprowski, TARTA CEO, as she addressed the graduates and reminded them of why their new tasks were so beneficial for the community they serve.
“It’s community, it’s connecting, it’s making things better,” she reminded them.
The new operators receive a number of messages and pieces of advice from TARTA’s leaders during the ceremony.
Oscar Correa, director of Transportation, reminded them of the number one, two and three priorities they must be concerned about in their new positions – safety, safety and safety.
Trainer Steve Wise advised them to incorporate empathy, adaptability and professionalism into their daily routines.
Carly Allen of ATU suggested that “customer Service’ was the most important part of the job and urged them to always keep the office informed of incidents and out-of-the-ordinary events. She also reminded them that the future with TARTA was not just a job but a career – “a solid middle class career” with benefits such as pensions, health care and vacations.
The graduates were also reminded that they were arriving at the transit service at a most opportune time. Board member Rev. Willie Perryman assured them that “TARTA is the most innovative, fastest growing transit authority in the state of Ohio” while adding that “in the next few years, TARTA is going to become one of the most modeled transit authorities in the United States … you are joining a team that is going places.”
The graduates selected one of their own to join the group of graduation speakers. Charlorett Siryani advised her classmates to “give people hope.” She noted that “we get paid to help people,” while encouraging her fellow grads to stay positive and pass a positive attitude on to those they are helping.