CB Bus Drivers Take First in "Road-eo"

Central Bucks School District bus drivers were awarded first place in the team competition and took six of the top 14 places in the Bucks and Montgomery County 38th annual School Bus Safety Competition held on Saturday, May 7, 2011. 

Teams from Centennial and Lower Merion School Districts placed 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

Eighty-two school bus drivers from Bucks and Montgomery County school districts competed in the event held at Central Bucks South High School. 

Also known as the Road-eo, the contest provides a showcase to demonstrate the skills and responsible performance of the demanding job of the two counties’ school bus drivers.

Drivers first had to pass written exams and conduct inspections of vehicles that may have been “bugged” with infractions or defects. The driving skills events included parallel parking in a spot the length of the bus plus 6 or 7 feet and going through a 100-foot long gauntlet of poles that decrease clearance to a mere two inches of leeway for the width of the bus.  

A Pennsylvania state trooper was among the judges who observed and rated each driver on a points system.

Drivers from the Central Bucks, Centennial, Lower Merion, Upper Moreland, and Methacton school districts also placed in the top 14 and received awards. All contestants received a certificate of participation.

Seven drivers from Central Bucks School District will go on to compete in the state championship held in State College June 24 and 25. They are Roy Carlile, who finished 3rd in Saturday’s competition; Ed Gehan, 5th place; Chuck Beaver, 7th; Adam Kern, 11th; Ginger Gruver, 13th; Liz Helmstetter, 14th; and Rose Wrobel who finished 15th.