The Point: RCTC honors FSP drivers who have helped thousands of motorists in western Riverside County
Awards season is upon us. Locally, RCTC rolled out the red carpet in late March to celebrate Freeway Service Patrol drivers who provided exceptional service to motorists on our busiest Riverside County highways.
A partnership between RCTC, the California Highway Patrol, and Caltrans, the Freeway Service Patrol program – or FSP — helps stranded motorists by quickly providing roadside assistance. This helps traffic flow safely in western Riverside County.
Get a flat tire, need a battery jump, or did your car overheat? FSP drivers come to the rescue at no charge to make these speedy repairs and more. If they can’t get you back on the road, they will tow your vehicle to a designated CHP location.
Now, without further ado…the envelopes please!
• In the Top Driver Award category, the award goes to Alexandro Alvarado of Coastal PrideTowing.
• In the Driver of Excellence category, John Materne of Pepe’s Towing won top honors.
• Carlos Castillo Jr. of Royal Coaches won top honors in the Driver of Excellence category.
• The Rookie of the Year award went to Manuel Gebara Jr. of Pepe’s Towing.
• And the People’s Choice award was presented to David Camberos of Pepe’s Towing
FSP drivers affect the lives of western Riverside County motorists every day. Sherry W. rated John Materne “an 11 out of 10,” noting that she “had a tire blow out and had pulled over with cars zipping by me. He saw me and pulled up behind me, gave me the brochure and offered to change my tire. He did so quickly and efficiently. I was in a dangerous area and was so thankful.”
The Riverside County FSP program is ranked as one of the highest benefit/cost FSP programs in the state and is funded by Caltrans and RCTC, with additional funding from the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction for weekend service. FSP operates Monday through Friday (except on some holidays) from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. for the morning commute and from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. for the afternoon commute. Friday afternoon service operates from 12:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Midday and weekend service is also available on select highway segments.
FSP in Riverside County operates on the 91, on I-15 between the 60 and the 79, on the 60 from I-15 to Theodore Street, and on the full length of I-215.
For more information about the FSP program, visit www.rctc.org/fsp