UTU member, former Houston Oilers football star 
back in the limelight on History Channel series

LOS ANGELES -- UTU member and former Houston Oilers wide-receiver/running back Ed Tanner, who grew up in South Central Los Angeles and now operates buses for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (MTA) Division 18 in South Bay, will be featured on the History Channel series "Modern Marvels" on Thursday, July 27, at 10 p.m. in an episode dealing exclusively with buses.

Past, present and future buses of all shapes, sizes and purposes is the focus of the show, which also features two other MTA employees who discuss the latest "smart" technologies being implemented on MTA buses, and the challenges of operating a large public transit system.

Tanner's appearance on the show marks the first time in nearly two decades that the personable bus operator, a member of UTU Local 1564 in Los Angeles, Cal., has received this much attention.

"I definitely miss the excitement of the football field," Tanner said, "but I was fortunate to have found a job that is as challenging as dodging a 325-pound defender, is rewarding and fun. Most importantly, serving the public is very important and something I look forward to doing everyday."

A resident of Pasadena, Cal., Brother Tanner attended Los Angeles City College and Kentucky State College. He is engaged to be married later this year.

The episode in which Tanner appears, entitled "Buses," was produced by Sherman Oaks-based Actuality Productions, which has filmed 120 shows for "Modern Marvels" about such topics as the Hoover Dam, the Statue of Liberty, the Golden Gate Bridge, Mount Rushmore, and television.

"Buses" will spotlight a variety of buses ranging from transit and school buses to former Oakland Raider's Coach John Madden's "cruiser" and a 48,000-pound luxury liner with satellite TV and hot tubs. The show will also examine the different stages of building a bus from the ground up.

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation's Automated Traffic Surveillance and Control -- an underground command center located beneath City Hall where the traffic signals of some of the busiest intersections in Los Angeles are monitored as well as the MTA's new Metro Rapid buses -- are among the many topics covered in the show. The episode also takes a look at "talking buses" and the benefits of compressed natural gas vehicles.

"The show is a behind-the-scenes look at the technology that is improving the transit system in Los Angeles," said Actuality Productions writer/producer Luke Ellis. "Ed Tanner provided an in-the-trenches perspective from someone who is actually working with these new systems. He was very congenial, just a very nice gentleman."

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