Driver Steve Richards Reaches Million Mile Status

Community Transit bus driver says luck and attention got him to safe driving milestone

Snohomish County, Wash. – Imagine driving a million miles – that’s 40 times around the Earth’s circumference – without a preventable accident. Now imagine doing that in a 40-foot bus!

Steve Richards has become the latest Community Transit driver to accomplish this feat.

Richards, who lives in Lynnwood, started driving a bus in 2002. He says driving conditions on Snohomish County roads have changed since that time.

"It takes skill and attention, and a lot of luck (to reach a million miles),” Richards said of reaching the safe driving milestone. “It’s a lot more crowded, there are a lot more cars on the road these days. You really need to pay attention.”

The National Safety Council sets the strict standard for a Million Mile Award, and it takes about 12.5 years of full-time driving without a preventable accident to earn it.

At Community Transit, awardees receive a Million Mile jacket, plaque, certificate, pin, and a decal on a Community Transit bus with their name on it.

Customer service skills aren’t a requirement for receiving the award. But Community Transit transportation director Fred Worthen says that he’s never seen a Million Mile Driver awardee “without a long list of customer service commendations in their record.”

Community Transit is responsible for providing bus and paratransit service, vanpool, and alternative commute options in Snohomish County. The agency is building a network of Swift bus rapid transit lines with Swift Blue Line along Highway 99 and the Swift Green Line between Canyon Park/Bothell and Boeing/Paine Field coming in 2019.