King County Executive Dow Constantine congratulated four highly skilled Metro Transit employees who brought home the gold from the 36th Annual International Bus Roadeo.

“Our bus operators and mechanics can justifiably be called the best in North America, and this award reflects well upon them all,” said Executive Constantine. “Their skills, their training, and their ability to react quickly to challenging situations are put to work every day in service to our customers here in King County.”

Metro’s team of bus operator Michael A. Grady and mechanics Ryan Stringfellow, Larry Fitzpatrick and Arvin Vulliet placed first in the combined competition to win the Grand Champion Award from the American Public Transportation Association.

This is the second time that Metro has won the Grand Champion Award. In 2005, Grady, Stringfellow and Fitzpatrick also served on the winning team.