Area bus drivers compete in Bus Roadeo

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WECT) - Bus drivers from three counties participated in some healthy competition Monday.

Drivers from New Hanover, Pender and Brunswick counties drove through five obstacles in the Bus Roadeo at Murray Middle School. Organizers said the event gives them a chance to show off their skills, and bond over the importance of keeping students safe.

“It gives you kind of an idea of the personalities people have when they’re on the bus with their kids, their character, and it says a lot," bus driver Tammy Wilson said. “Even though a lot of these people I don’t even know by name, I’ve never met, but everybody has been really friendly and we’re all here to do the same thing.”

Drivers also said they hope the event will make more people want to become school bus drivers.

“We wanted to bring the districts together to give the drivers an opportunity to connect, to network and mingle," Brandon Smith, the transportation director for Pender County Schools, said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for us as districts to work together because we do have a problem today finding bus drivers and the community seeing the skills that they have shows the importance of what we do every day.”

The top driver from each county moves on to the District Roadeo in May at Murray Middle. The state competition is at Murray Middle as well in June.

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