Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) recently recognized the exceptional efforts of GoZone driver John Johnson, who went above and beyond in service to others.
During Winter Storm Fern, John was transporting an unhoused individual in a wheelchair from a hotel to two shelters, both of which were full and unable to assist her.
Although the passenger said it was okay to leave and that she would find a picnic table to sleep on for the night, John felt compelled to ensure her safety. He then took further time to call the City of Denton’s non-emergency line to find alternative resources. Ultimately, he decided to transport the individual back to the hotel and personally cover the cost of two nights, providing a safe refuge during the storm.
While honoring John’s kind act of service, DCTA CEO Paul Cristina said, “We are a data-driven organization. We measure KPIs and the cost of services, but we can’t measure these kinds of things, so it’s very appropriate for us to say thank you very much for what you’re doing, and we are so grateful.”
John Johnson shared, “At one point in my life, I didn’t love myself. It took different people to show me love and to show me that I was worthy of love. It took the Lord to show me that I could pass that love on.” Mr. Johnson said, “Between the help of God, this community, and my job, that’s one more person who’s not on the street.”
In addition to honoring John’s outstanding service, DCTA reported impressive ridership statistics during the storm that included 2,953 GoZone trips completed with zero injuries or collisions, 640 A-train passengers with a 97.9% average on-time performance, 132 hours of switch heater maintenance,109 life-sustaining Access trips, over 20,000 Connect/UNT fixed-route passengers, and 608 customer support calls.
“It’s a privilege to work alongside the men and women of the Denton County Transportation Authority every day, but there are some days when that is shown in ways that go above and beyond,” said Cristina. “Staff did some extraordinary things during the winter weather event we had.”
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