AVTA inspires young artist

LANCASTER — Hunter Lancaster won third place in the Palmdale School District’s third annual Art Show with his piece, “Ride to the Future.”

The artwork featured a stylized Antelope Valley Transit Authority BYD battery-electric bus with a fighter jet and four California poppies bursting from its side on a yellow, orange and red background. The artwork is now hanging in the Palmdale School District’s district office.

Hunter’s mother, Paulina Cazares-Malta, works for the AVTA. His artwork caught the attention of AVTA Executive Director/CEO Martin Tompkins and Chief Financial Officer Judy Vaccaro-Fry.

“We have focused here at this agency on how we’re changing the world,” Vaccaro-Fry said during a presentation, Tuesday morning, at the AVTA Board of Directors meeting.

The AVTA is the first transit agency in North America to go 100% electric.

“We’ve received accolades from federal, state and local officials,” she said. “But I would like you to hear from today’s youth, who we are really trying to impact the most.”

Vaccaro-Fry invited Lancaster to the podium. She explained how he entered the Palmdale School District’s contest, with a theme of, “Promise of the Future.”

“In this art contest, he drew our bus — our bus inspired him for ‘Ride to the Future,’” she said.

Lancaster, 10, is a fourth-grad

er at Golden Poppy Elementary School.

“When I think of a promise of the future, I think about our environment,” he said. “The Antelope Valley has the first all-electric transit agency in North America. To me, a promise to the future means lowering our use of fossil fuels so fu

ture kids have clean air to breathe.”

Tompkins and Vaccaro-Fry offered Lancaster a tour of AVTA’s facility so he could learn more about how the transit agency is helping the environment. Customer Satisfaction Manager Carlos Lo

pez suggested he ride Route 5 with his parents, which he did.

“The bus driver greeted us and I enjoyed the bus ride and noticed a futuristic sound,” Lancaster said, adding his interpretation of the sound.

He got to see the charging stations for the buses and learn about wireless inductive charging that help the buses stay out longer during their routes. He said that Vincent San Nicolas, the fleet maintenance manager, explained why the buses make the futuristic sound that they do.

“Our environment is very important and our future depends on leaders like the Board members at the Antelope Valley Transit Authority,” Lancaster said.

The young artist painted four more paintings featuring BYD’s electric buses, three of which he brought with him to the meeting to show his appreciation to the AVTA and its Board of Directors.

“On behalf of kids my age, thank you,” Lancaster said.

Vaccaro-Fry presented him with an AVTA bag that included his own, personalized bus sign.

“We are just so blessed to have him here and share how we are impacting the next generation,” she said.