Burrstone Posted August 22, 2015 Share #1 Posted August 22, 2015 Suffolk bus driver puts brakes on career after 1.25M miles http://www.newsday.com/long-island/suffolk/suffolk-transportation-service-driver-puts-brakes-on-45-year-career-after-1-25-million-miles-1.10695736 Michael Guasp, of Bay Shore, a driver for Suffolk County Transit, smiles as he gets off at the S40 bus stop near the intersection of Main Street and Saxon Avenue in Bay Shore Friday, July 31, 2015. The stop was the last in Guasp's career. Photo Credit: Barry Sloan A Suffolk County bus driver who logged more than 1.25 million miles in his 45-year career made his final run Friday afternoon. Michael Guasp, 76, who was hired by Suffolk Transportation Service on June 5, 1970, pulled up to the stop at Main Street and Saxon Avenue in Bay Shore, where he was greeted by fellow employees and bus company executives with applause and a plaque. They lauded him on his retirement from a career behind the wheel, during which he drove the million-plus miles for Suffolk Bus Corp., a division of Suffolk Transportation. Bus officials calculated that equals about 50 times around the world. Guasp, beloved by both passengers and co-workers, said it was time for him to hit the brakes. For years, he woke at 4:30 a.m. for the early route on the S40, which runs along the South Shore from Babylon to Patchogue. "You get tired after 45 years," said Guasp, of Bay Shore. He said he has no plans and that he just wants to relax. "I drove this bus more than I drove my own car," he said. "There's a lot of good people on the run." Denise McGarty, regional transportation director for the Suffolk bus company, has worked with Guasp for many years. "He's so dedicated," she said. "He started here when the main office was a barn." The group of workers wanted to give him a special send-off for being such a dedicated and loyal employee, McGarty said. John J. Corrado, president of the bus company and Suffolk Transportation Service, said Guasp started with the company when it was a makeshift system, with white school buses, operating in the Town of Islip. The fleet has grown from 35 school buses and 15 transit buses in 1970 to more than 1,400 school buses, 80 transit buses and 143 paratransit buses today. "Mike is one of the finest transit drivers in Suffolk County," Corrado said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QM1to6Ave Posted August 22, 2015 Share #2 Posted August 22, 2015 Good for him! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B35 via Church Posted August 23, 2015 Share #3 Posted August 23, 2015 I find that long tenured bus drivers like that (generally speaking) are some of the more class guys around...... With all the job hopping that's taking place in this day & age, you're going to see a serious decline with occurrences/stories like this.... over 1 million miles.... good lord.... Since I haven't rode an SCT route in a good minute (even though I've probably routefanned the S40 the most out of any SCT route), Quick question: Is that particular stop in bay shore a relief point for drivers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac5689 Posted August 23, 2015 Share #4 Posted August 23, 2015 Quick question: Is that particular stop in bay shore a relief point for drivers? I'm not sure. It could possibly since that spot isn't far from the Bay Shore yard where Suffolk Bus/Suffolk Transportation Service keeps the buses for the S40, S42, S45, 3A, 3B. 3C. and 3D (Weekdays & Saturdays) so it wouldn't take long for the relif driver to get from the yard to the spot and the driver they are replacing to get back to the yard. I mean it's like a block away so really they could probably walk it if they wanted. or walk up to the Saftey & Training center on Saxon and grab a company car to drive back to the main yard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B35 via Church Posted August 23, 2015 Share #5 Posted August 23, 2015 I'm not sure. It could possibly since that spot isn't far from the Bay Shore yard where Suffolk Bus/Suffolk Transportation Service keeps the buses for the S40, S42, S45, 3A, 3B. 3C. and 3D (Weekdays & Saturdays) so it wouldn't take long for the relif driver to get from the yard to the spot and the driver they are replacing to get back to the yard. I mean it's like a block away so really they could probably walk it if they wanted. or walk up to the Saftey & Training center on Saxon and grab a company car to drive back to the main yard. I asked b/c while I do remember being on Patchogue bound S40's (plural; on more than one occasion) where driver changes occurred mid-route, I (to be perfectly honest) paid no attention to specifically where along the route it was happening at..... So upon picking up that small tidbit from this story, I thought that's where the relief point was at.... What you're saying here makes sense though.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac5689 Posted August 24, 2015 Share #6 Posted August 24, 2015 I asked b/c while I do remember being on Patchogue bound S40's (plural; on more than one occasion) where driver changes occurred mid-route, I (to be perfectly honest) paid no attention to specifically where along the route it was happening at..... So upon picking up that small tidbit from this story, I thought that's where the relief point was at.... What you're saying here makes sense though.... They could still have a relief point mid-route either going one way or during the weekday. I believe my memory is from a Saturday way back before they reconfigured the 6th District Court stop for the S40 and S66. I know SBC does do mid-route relief point because I was told that the Relief point for one of the S71 runs is at Brookhaven Town Hall in Farmingville. It's been a long time since I've seen a mid-route relief point done, not since the late 90's when CBS Lines use to relief one of the S60 runs and a S62 run at Port Jefferson Plaza. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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