BREMERTON — Bremerton resident Robert Floyd, a driver for Kitsap Transit ACCESS, placed ninth in the 2016 National Community Transportation Roadeo in Portland, Oregon.

“The Roadeo is the only national venue to honor and celebrate the value of rural and community transit operators,” said Sanjay Bhatt, public information officer for Kitsap Transit. “The competition draws drivers from across the nation to compete for top scores on a course that tests drivers’ abilities.”

Floyd won the Roadeo state “body on chassis” championship last year and was named Kitsap Transit’s ACCESS Driver of the Year in 2014. This year, he placed second in the Roadeo among Washington-state drivers, and ninth overall out of 76 participating drivers in the body on chassis category, in which competitors maneuvered 22-foot buses through an obstacle course.

To get to the nationals, Robert had to place first in his division at last year’s local roadeo and in the top four spots at last year’s state roadeo. The national competition is considered an international contest because drivers from other nations can compete, said Alene Evans, Kitsap Transit operations supervisor and roadeo course marshal for the local competition.

To qualify to compete in the roadeos, drivers must have been employed by a transit agency for at least a year and have a sterling attendance and driving record.

“So going to the International, you’re getting the best of the best in the United States and Canada and possibly Mexico,” Evans said. “So it’s a really huge thing.”

Competitors must pass a series of timed seven-minute tests:

— 25 questions that test the operators’ knowledge.

— Finding defects, such as missing or broken parts, before driving the vehicle.

— Securing a wheelchair inside the vehicle.

— Completing an obstacle course with numerous challenges, such as making tight turns, backing the vehicle between two cones and stopping the vehicle precisely for a simulated customer stop.

Floyd drives an ACCESS bus for Kitsap Transit, which is a service for the elderly and disable who are unable to ride on routed buses in Kitsap County.

“Kitsap Transit is very proud of Robert’s performance, in the Roadeo and overall,” Bhatt said.

To learn more about the National Community Transportation Association, visit www.web1.ctaa.org.