2009 Paratransit Driver of the Year — Tony Adepegba

Maryland Man Named Paratransit Driver of the Year by National Transportation Association

(ROCKVILLE, Maryland)—The Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association (TLPA) is pleased to announce it has named Abiodun "Tony" Adepegba of Gaithersburg, Maryland, the 2009 Paratransit Driver of the Year.

In a highly competitive field of applicants for the award this year, Tony, who drives for Challenger Transportation of Gaithersburg, showed exemplary qualities in caring for his clients.

"What really comes through with Tony is how much he strives not just to deliver a client safely and reliably from point 'A' to point 'B,' but the way he strives to make that client's whole experience better," says Alfred LaGasse, CEO of the TLPA. "He takes enormous pride in his job, in his service, and in positively affecting the quality of someone else's day."

Called "the epitome of a professional driver" by his supervisors, Tony has earned such a reputation for on-time reliable service that his clients will call the company just 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.

"It's a good feeling to know that you have a positive effect on another person," Tony says. "I believe that if you take pride in your work, you will always push yourself to do your best and to take responsibility."

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Adepegba came to the United States in 1986 "in search of a better life," he says. He received a degree in electrical engineering from the University of the District of Columbia in 1994, and is now a U.S. citizen. 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 and application and became a vehicle operator in 2002.

Tony will accept the award on Oct. 6 in front of nearly 1,000 industry leaders at the TLPA's annual convention, held this year at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. This year marks the 91st Annual Convention & Trade Show for the TLPA, and is the world's largest gathering of for-hire fleet executives.

Established in 1917, the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association (TLPA) is a non-profit trade association of and for the private passenger transportation industry. Its extensive membership spans the globe to include 1,000 taxicab companies, executive sedan and limousine services, airport shuttle fleets, non-emergency medical transportation companies, and paratransit services. For more information, please visit www.tlpa.org.