By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

            A Levy County Transit employee has received a statewide award as the Paratransit Technician of the Year.

            Bruce Haney has maintained, serviced, and repaired the county’s 19 public transit buses for the past 7 ½ years.

            Paratransit means providing transportation for people with disabilities who are unable to use the regular, fixed-route transit that serves their area. Paratransit provides door-to-door services for people who call to reserve a ride.

            It is not an emergency transport service.

            Haney’s extraordinary work ethic, dedication to the job, and his skills in keeping the buses operating without breakdowns that could disrupt service were recognized by the Florida Public Transit Association (FPTA).

            He was selected as FPTA’s first annual Paratransit State Technician of the Year.

            Levy County Commissioners honored Haney at the recent board meeting.

            His boss, Connie Conley, director of Levy County Transit, said Haney saves the county thousands of dollars every year through preventative maintenance and working closely with her to get the best prices for major repairs.

            “He’s just an outstanding employee for the county and he does a lot for not just my department but for the county road department as well,” Conley said Thursday.

            She said Haney came to the county from Ford Motor Company with multiple certifications as a mechanic. He was also a monster truck owner. Monster trucks are specialized trucks on oversized tires used for competition and shows.

            The exceptional mechanical skills of a monster truck owner no doubt comes in handy when keeping 19 transit buses running smoothly. Haney has a “monster-sized job” taking care of the transit buses running thousands of miles every month.

            “Bruce is by far the most important asset of this agency. His dedication, work ethic, and genuine commitment to keep all vehicles in top-notch condition on a daily basis is his top priority,” Conley said in her nomination of Haney for the statewide award. “Since being hired as our first and only agency mechanic, he took over all repairs and maintenance and has kept the fleet in great condition.”

            Conley said Levy County Transit would be hard-pressed to find an employee as dedicated, hardworking, loyal, reliable, and flexible as Haney. She said he arrives at work with a positive attitude and works closely with co-workers and other staff to ensure a good working relationship.

            Among the other things he does for the agency are the following:

• Responds to calls from drivers for mechanical issues as early as 3:30 am., prior to his scheduled clock-in time
• During hurricane season Haney is present and stays around the clock, if needed, to assist with any needs that may arise, verifies that all vehicles are fueled, assists other drivers when taking residents to and from emergency shelters, and assists other county departments with needs that may arise during the event.
• Works closely with the transit bus scheduler when multiple vehicles are scheduled for maintenance in the same time period to assure the scheduler has the size vehicles needed to provide service.
• Attends and participates in all agency meetings.
• Responsive and diligent.
• Excellent attendance and punctuality.

“He cares. He’s one of those who cares and takes care of what he needs to do,” Conley said. “He doesn’t take shortcuts. It’s fixed and move on. He has saved the agency and the county a lot of money by being proactive and doing preventative maintenance rather than being reactive.”

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Enterprise Reporting by Terry Witt December 2, 2021; Posted December 2, 2021