Bus driver Norma Sanders will achieve two firsts today.
She'll be the first female inducted into CARTA's prestigious Million Mile Club - for drivers who have driven one million miles without being charged in any accidents. And CARTA will honor Sanders, who has 31 years of service, for being its most senior bus operator. It's the first time in the agency's history that a woman has held that spot, too.
Sanders gained the top position in 2014 after drivers Charles Stoudemire and Fred Wheeler retired.
She now stands as one of only eight members since the Million Mile Club's inception in 2000.
"The passengers should feel really honored to ride her bus because they know they're in safe hands and they're in the hands of a veteran who has accomplished so many significant milestones," said Veronica Peebles, CARTA's manger of communications.
Peebles will be among several people attending the monthly board of directors meeting of the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority today to recognize Sanders.
CARTA officials will present her with the gold coat symbolizing her membership in the Million Mile Club. Of the eight people in the club, she is one of only two who are still driving and not retired.
Sanders said she plans to retire in 23 months.
She has family coming from as far away as Mississippi to celebrate, she said.
One million miles is 40 times around the Earth, a distance that at 60 mph would take two years to drive, according to popularmechanics.com.
The 61-year-old veteran driver credits her faith in God and love for her daughter, Lakisha Sanders, for her accomplishments.
She started working for CARTA on Jan. 23, 1985, after working for five years at Cumberland Case putting milk crates and buggies together.
While at Cumberland Case making about $5 an hour, the single mom prayed for a job with which she could support her daughter, have a car and pay for her own place to live.
She and her daughter lived with her mother, and Sanders struggled just to pay her car note. But two years after getting hired at CARTA, she and her daughter moved into their own residence. Her daughter died from lupus in 2000, about 13 years after they moved into their home.
Sanders prayed to get her job and she prays continuously to keep it, she said.
"I just thank him because every day these cars fly past these buses. Many of us have been hit by other cars, and some of us have had wrecks," she said.
She prays she "bridles" her tongue, to not talk bad of co-workers or anyone else. Her goal is to inspire people when she speaks, she said.
And she prays for safety.
"I said I'm trying to make it to a million miles and get the gold jacket, and the devil just put whatever he can in the way," she said. "People even cut across the front of the buses."
Contact staff writer Yolanda Putman at yputman@timesfreepress.com or 757-6431.