Kitsap Transit’s 2021 Drivers of the Year

Every year, Kitsap Transit honors two exceptional bus operators with our Driver of the Year Award.

It’s a big honor – the award recognizes drivers who represent the highest level of safety and customer service to the public, demonstrate teamwork through a helpful and courteous working relationship with other drivers, and reflect Kitsap Transit’s mission to provide safe, reliable and efficient public transportation.

To be nominated, a driver must have been named a Driver of the Month in the last 12 months. All 12 Drivers of the Month, plus the last five Drivers of the Year, nominate two candidates by secret ballot. The top two finalists are forwarded to department supervisors, who choose the winners by secret ballot.

We announced our drivers of the year in January, but we wanted to highlight them again for Transit Driver Appreciation Day on March 18 – along with all our bus operators, ferry captains, deckhands and anyone who helps take people where they need to go.

To that end: Congratulations to our Routed Driver of the Year Eric Foster and our ACCESS Driver of the Year Robert Pilon!

Since joining KT in January 2018, Eric has received three Driver of the Month awards, a Top Notch Team Member award last December, a three-year safe driving award last June and a Distinguished Safety Award last April.

His driving advice: “There are only two things that you need to do: Show up on time and do your best work each day.”

Eric began his professional driving career as a tour bus driver in Alaska for two summers while in college. Outside of work, Eric enjoys woodworking, cooking, and smoking meat in his barbeque smoker. In the future he hopes to visit Greece and Israel.

Robert joined Kitsap Transit in March 2014 and has received three Driver of the Month awards, 15 Way to Go’s from dispatch and supervisors for his willingness to go above and beyond, and a Distinguished Safety Award last August.

Earlier in his career Robert used to be the skipper on the Jungle Cruise at Disney World! At Kitsap Transit, one of his most memorable moments was being asked during advanced operator training to lock his brakes up while doing 50mph on the airport’s wet speedway.

Outside of work, Robert enjoys home remodeling and travel. He hopes to travel to Iceland, Italy, Paris and Scotland.

If you board their bus, please congratulate them!