TAXICAB, LIMOUSINE & PARATRANSIT ASSOCIATIONTLPA 2009 DRIVERS OF THE YEAR
At its 91st Annual Convention & Trade Show in Las Vegas, the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association presented its annual Drivers and Operators of the Year Awards.
The following article consists of the TLPA Drivers of the Year. The TLPA Operators of the Year will be presented in the March 2010 issue of TLC Magazine.
This year’s awardees hail from across the United States. Some were chosen because of inspiring acts of heroism, and others chosen because of their unwavering attention to detail and service to their clients. The 2009 winners are:
- Ousmane Ndoye of Yellow Cab in Denver, Colorado (Taxicab Driver of the Year);
- James Lilley of Gateway Limousines Worldwide in San Francisco, California (Limousine Chauffeur of the Year);
- Abiodun “Tony” Adepegba of Challenger Transportation in Gaithersburg, Maryland (Paratransit Driver of the Year);
- Craig C. Hughes, CEO of Total Transit of Glendale, Arizona (Large Fleet Taxicab Operator of the Year);
- Jeb Corey, Vice-President and General Manager of C&H Taxi in Charleston, West Virginia (Small Fleet Taxicab Operator of the Year);
- Dean Schuler, CEO of Carey New Orleans/Signature Livery in New Orleans, Louisiana (Limousine Operator of the Year);
- Thomas P. Arrighi, President of A&A Metro Transportation in Bridgewater, Massachusetts (Paratransit Operator of the Year).
Ousmane Ndoye of Denver Yellow Cab — TLPA’s 2009 Taxicab Driver of the Year
Ousmane came to the United States from West Africa in 1998 bringing with him the determination to improve not only his own life but also the lives of those around him. His strong sense of compassion and generosity has allowed him to create bonds of friendship and trust that have gone far beyond a simple taxicab transaction.
Take, for example, a man and his crying infant son Ousmane once saw walking 10 blocks to a bus stop on a blistering hot day. He offered them a free ride. The man initially refused saying he didn’t have enough money for a taxi. “I said, don’t worry,” Ousmane recalls. “It’s not for you, but for this little boy who deserves a free ride from me. Why? I see this child as our future. We were children, too, weren’t we?” He took them not just to the bus stop, but also to their final destination.
To walk a day in Ousmane’s shoes is to witness his countless acts of kindness, generosity and sympathy. But never did that sense of selflessness matter more than the day this past February when he came across a building on fire and a woman screaming, “My daughter, she’s inside! My daughter!”
The daughter was a disabled middle aged woman who uses a wheelchair. She had become trapped as she tried to crawl out of the house to safety. Ousmane ran inside the burning building, carried her outside, put her in his cab to rest and waited until emergency personnel arrived.
“I just did it because, I think, if one of my family or my friend or my wife were in one of those circumstances, I would do it, too,” he says.
Ousmane, who didn’t immediately tell co-workers what he had done took up a collection that day to help the family. His actions generated a wave of local media coverage along with a string of supportive comments in online news forums. Denver Yellow Cab owner Randy Jensen later called him his “humble hero,” adding that Ousmane is someone who leads by example, whether it’s handing out bottles of water to the homeless, giving free rides to the elderly so they can do their grocery shopping, or simply providing an outstanding customer experience.
Born in Senegal, the 41 year-old Ousmane first worked as a nightshift “graveyard guy” for a convenience store chain in Denver. Several fellow Senegalese who had also relocated to Denver urged him to try driving a taxicab. Ousmane also worked a stint as an airport shuttle driver but was seriously injured in an accident. He was out of work for eight months, and lost almost everything including his home. But he pressed onward remembering the mantra of one of his mentors: “Never quit. Only losers are quitters, and you’re no loser.”
Nowadays Ousmane starts his day looking over his vehicle to make sure it is a “five-star cab.” He says a prayer, checks his attitude with a smile, and focuses on the day ahead by listening to Bob Dylan’s “Gotta Serve Somebody.”
Winning this year’s award, Ousmane says, is a credit to many more than just himself. He thanks God, his wife (“who tolerates the long shifts and shares her life with a cabbie”), his fellow drivers at Denver Yellow Cab (“without you guys nothing good would happen”), and most of all his customers.
“They are the foundation, they are the ‘wheel power,’” he says.
No matter what’s around the next corner for Ousmane, it’s safe to say the road will be paved with optimism and hope. Among his biggest dreams is the ability to give back to his homeland in Africa.
“Before I die I want to be able to leave something to the youth of the world, particularly the youth of Africa who have lost hope and suffer more than anybody because of a lack of leadership,” he says. “God knows they are innocent victims. But hope is the magic.”
James Lilley, Senior Executive Chauffeur and Field Operations Supervisor for Gateway Limousines Worldwide, Burlingame, CA — TLPA’s 2009 Limousine & Sedan Chauffeur of Year
Anyone who has the good fortune to be riding in a limousine driven by James knows that he prides himself not just on excellent service, but on service the customer will remember for a lifetime.
Once, while driving a principal of a major investment firm for a two day business trip, James overheard her say that she and her husband were so busy they didn’t have time to decorate their new home. “I don’t even know where there are any furniture stores,” she said.
So, while the client was in a business meeting during one of the stops, James found access to a computer and printed out a list of all the furniture stores in her hometown.
“We always have a laugh and a chat about her furniture when I see her,” stated James .
Growing up in a small town in Louisiana where his father was a minister and his mother a schoolteacher gave James grounding in lessons that have served both him and his two older brothers well.
“I think we learned from an early age, by our parents’ examples, that it was important to serve our fellow citizens, to be kind and to be courteous to people wherever we found ourselves,” he says.
After graduating from Baylor University in Texas with a degree in fine arts James embarked on a varied but always successful career marked by hard work and attention to detail.
He moved to Washington, D.C. after graduating landing a job on the staff of the National Gallery of Art. From there he went to New York where he studied acting at the studio of Stella Adlare who also taught such greats as Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro.
He also attended New York University’s Film Certificate Program, and produced industrial television and film for five years while working for JC Penny and others. He produced shows with the late President Gerald Ford, famed CBS television reporter Eric Sevareid and 20/20 host Hugh Downs to mention a few.
He began a career in hospitality by working at the fabled Windows on the World restaurant in New York before moving to Houston, Texas where he began working for a Rosewood Hotel. Recognizing talent, Rosewood later transferred him to their flagship property, The Mansion on Turtle Creek, in Dallas.
While in Dallas he also began working for ClubCorp, the world's largest owner of private clubs, and he was lucky enough to call the company’s founder, Robert Dedman, a close personal friend and mentor.
While searching for a way to supplement his income while building a photography business James was recommended to Gateway by a friend. It was a perfect match.
“I don't need to rely on news organizations for information about what is going on in the world. My clients create the news, and it is an honor to facilitate the fulfillment of their often very demanding schedules. I sometime feel like Charlie Rose, the TV personality! I have conversations with world leaders in their fields,” he indicated.
He credits Gateway founder Sam Amato for helping to create opportunities even amid the recession which he says has spurred the company to compete even harder to be an industry leader. And he thanks “the whole Gateway team” for making the TLPA award possible.
“I know of no other industry that is as labor intensive as ours, and which requires constant vigilance on the part of everyone on the team,” says James.
Outside of work James serves on the Board of Governors of The City Club of San Francisco where he focuses on providing college scholarships for students graduating from public high school.
In his spare time James is a consummate traveler and a food and wine aficionado. And the world of fine art still runs deep in his veins.
“I would love to go to every art museum in the world,” he says. “Too many museums and too little time!”
Abiodun “Tony” Adepegba of Challenger Transportation, Inc. in Gaithersburg, Maryland — TLPA’s 2009 Paratransit & Contracting Driver of the Year
Called the “epitome of a professional driver” by his supervisors, Tony has earned such a reputation for on time, reliable service that his clients call the company just to ask to double check that he’s on duty that day. One elderly woman who came to depend on him for regular hospital trips even requested that, when she moved into a new care facility in a different town, he be allowed to change his area of operations.
Once, when arriving at the home of a customer heading to a dialysis appointment, he found her walkway was covered over with snow.
“I was carrying a shovel as part of my emergency supplies,” he says. “I shoveled a path to the townhouse and assisted her to the vehicle.”
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Tony came to the United States in 1986 “in search of a better life”. He received a degree in electrical engineering from the University of the District of Columbia in 1994, and became a U.S. citizen a few years later.
He says he became aware of the needs of people with disabilities when he was assistant store manager at a pharmacy. It was also there that he began to see Challenger vehicles bringing people to the pharmacy. He submitted an application and became a vehicle operator in 2002.
“I enjoy helping people and feel each passenger has a story to tell. I enjoy the contact with the passengers and gain satisfaction from knowing that I helped another person in the performance of my job,” says Tony, who is married with four children, the oldest of which is currently a student at the University of Maryland.
He credits much of his success to Challenger’s robust driver support which includes its own training facility known as “Challenger University.”
“The initial driver training is excellent, and training continues throughout a driver’s employment,” he says. “When issues arise management always talks to the drivers and works with us to improve service. Challenger’s mission statement refers to a commitment to excellence and a ‘Do It Now’ attitude. I believe that if you take pride in your work you will always push yourself to do your best and to take responsibility.”
That kind of training and personal expectation also allows drivers like Tony to remain calm in difficult circumstances. Several times Tony has had incidents where passengers required immediate medical attention. In one case, a passenger in a wheelchair told him that her arm was shaking uncontrollably.
“When I looked back I saw that her entire body was trembling,” Tony recalls. “I called dispatch and was instructed to transport her to the nearest hospital. I reached the hospital with her and the emergency unit promptly attended to her. She called me later that evening to thank me saying she had a possible stroke.”
The paratransit industry is one that has changed dramatically since he started seven years ago, he pointed out. Tony is a big fan of Challenger’s Ford Econolines outfitted with Braun Millennium lifts. Vehicles also have Ranger mobile data terminals that provide mapping, voice directions and manifest information. A camera captures 20 second video clips of any sudden vehicle movements and are used in Challenger’s safety programs.
“The equipment, the training and the requirement to provide door to door service are all improvements,” he says. “The seating plan on the new vehicles is safer and more efficient for loading, and the vehicles provide a more comfortable ride to the passenger.”
He predicts the demands on paratransit service will be significant in the years to come as the elderly population in the United States increases and he’ll be ready to serve.
“Many passengers brighten my day,” he says. “For example, there is a young woman who is developmentally disabled who is known for delaying. But when she sees that I am her driver she gets a smile on her face and gets ready immediately. It’s a good feeling to know that you have a positive effect on another person.”
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