On Thursday evening, October 17th, members of the Orwigsburg Fire Department were able to learn about the Schuylkill Transportation System’s CNG buses, their safety features as well as other important aspects of their operation.
Sam Detweiler, STS Maintenance Director, drove one of the CNG buses to the fire department in Orwigsburg and was able to demonstrate to the group the various parts of equipment and safety components of a CNG vehicle.
STS will begin servicing the borough of Orwigsburg on the #80 Southern Loop which is scheduled to start running on November 4th.
On May 7th the Schuylkill County Transportation Authority received the “2019 Award for Excellence” in recognition regarding the implementation of their newly acquired Clean Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles. The award was presented on behalf of the Northeast PA Manufacturers & Employers Association. The category of submittal was: Energy Efficiencies/Environmental Improvements.
Mr. Dave Bekisz is seen accepting the award on behalf of STS at the awards dinner held at the Schuylkill Country Club, Orwigsburg. The award was presented by Ms. Darlene J. Robbins, President of the Northeast PA Manufacturers & Employers Association.
Congratulatory awards were also received from presenters: Brian Hansbury on behalf of SEDCO; Commissioners Gary Hess, Frank Staudenmeier, George Halcovage on behalf of Schuylkill County Commissioners and Luzerne County Council; Nicole Fidler on behalf of Representative Mike Tobash, Representative Eddie Day Pashinski and Representative Tarah Tohill; Michael McCord, on behalf of Representative Neal Goodman; Mary Beth Dougherty on behalf of Senator Dave Argall and Senator John Yudichak; John Gower on behalf of Congressman Dan Meuser; Aimee Wechsler on behalf of U.S. Senator Bob Casey; Marta Gabriel on behalf of U.S. Senator Pat Toomey; Lance Miller on behalf of NEPA MAEA; and Darlene J. Robbins on behalf of NAM and PMA.
Dave Bekisz, STS Executive Director (back row; far left) is pictured with 2019 Excellence Award recipients representing Solar Innovations; TC Transcontinental; Inter Metro Industries, Corp.; Ash-Tec Inc.; Versum Materials; Tredegar; Mid Penn Bank; Access Services; Lehigh Valley Hospital; Penn State University-Schuylkill Campus; and Mrs. T’s Pierogies. Congratulations to all winners!
The Schuylkill Transportation System received the Pennsylvania Partner Award from Ecolane ranking STS as second in the state in several categories! Ecolane is a leading provider in demand-response dispatch and scheduling software in transit, paratransit, NEMT and government industries.
Shawn Schoffstall, STS Scheduler/Dispatcher and Krista Riedel-Yohn, STS Operations Systems Coordinator received the award on behalf of STS while in attendance at the 2018 Ecolane PA Partner Conference held at the Normandy Farm Hotel and Conference Center in Blue Bell, PA.
As quoted by Dave Bekisz: “My thanks to everyone as this is a team effort, we should all feel proud of this accomplishment.”
Executive Director, Dave Bekisz addressed attendees including Commissioners George Halcovage (seated) and Gary Hess (standing) along with members of the Press on October 24, 2018. CNG vehicles were on display at the St. Clair facility that day.
October 2018: The Schuylkill Transportation System (STS) is proud to introduce to the public five new compressed natural gas vehicles. The vehicles acquired by STS include two 30 ft. and three 35 ft. buses manufactured by Gillig which will be utilized on the system’s ten fixed routes. These vehicle are to replace five diesel powered buses that have meet their useful life.
Some of the many advantages of fueling vehicles with Compressed Natural Gas include reduced maintenance costs, expanding the vehicle’s life cycle, and promoting a greener environment by reducing less harmful emissions into the air along with less noise pollution. And since most natural gas consumed in the United States is produced in North America; resources should be readily available for many future generations.
STS believes their passengers will also benefit when riding onboard a CNG vehicle since the sound level of a CNG engine is considerable more quiet than a diesel powered engine making for a more quieter and enjoyable ride.
The Schuylkill Transportation System anticipates the acquisition of four more CNG powered vehicles in 2019.
The Schuylkill County Transportation Authority is excited to join other State transit agencies by implementing these CNG buses to serve the residents of Schuylkill County and its visitors. Along with the advantages of CNG discussed above, these new vehicles are also equipped with many safety, reliability, comfort and IT advancements that will make them great assets for both our riders and STS staff.
Side view of one of the five new CNG vehicles. Photo taken at the STS St. Clair facility.
Dave Bekisz, Executive Director would like to take a moment to thank the many people and agencies that were essential for making this a reality. Thanks to the FTA, our partners at PennDot, local government, our Board of Directors and of course all the employees at STS.
Three of the five newly acquired Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles acquired in October 2018 staged at St. Clair STS facility.Onboard one of the new CNG vehicles-Left to Right: Commissioner Halcovage; Sabrina Smitrovich, HR Director; Dave Bekisz, Executive Director; Sam Detweiler, Maintenance Director; John Consugar, Finance Director and Commissioner Hess
Santa and Mrs. Claus spent some time away from the North Pole on Friday, December 15th to help out the Schuylkill Transportation System by driving two of their fixed route buses for the day.
The Schuylkill Transportation System would like to extend congratulations to Ed Darker for his twenty years of dedicated service. Ed holds the position of Maintenance Mechanic Foreman at STS. Congratulations Ed!
Presenting Ed with his plaque is Dave Bekisz, STS Executive Director while Sam Detweiler, Equipment and Maintenance Manager stands by.
Schuylkill County Transportation Authority received an award from Ecolane Software Company for adopting their “best practices” from top down.
Quote from Jason Ellis, Vice President of Professional Services: “An agency is a true reflection of its staff and we love what we “see” in Schuylkill.”
Pictured from Left to Right: Matt Taylor, Ecolane Senior Technical Trainer; Shawn Schoffstall, SCTA Scheduler; Jason Ellis, Ecolane Vice President of Professional Services; Doug Spears, Vice President of Product Development
Congratulations to Pat Sonoski, STS first shift foreman! Pat celebrated his 25th year at the Schuylkill Transportation System on Friday, October 9, 2015.
Thank you Pat for your service and dedication in keeping the STS fleet of vehicles up and running. From your staff and co-workers at STS!
Congratulations to 2015 Pennsylvania Public Transportation Association (PPTA) award recipients Mr. Johnny Bowman and Ms. Deb Doran. Both received awards for PPTA Professional Supervisor and are Transit SCORE Graduates.
