On perhaps the only day when “clowning around” is acceptable behavior on an Issaquah school bus, our drivers continued to prove their skills are boundless! Six Issaquah School District bus drivers competed in the Puget Sound Driver Trainer Association’s Regional Road-eo at Eastlake High School on May 3, bringing back top awards.

Coached by expert drivers Kathy Garrison and Becky Flaherty, four drivers competed individually and as a team in the Transit Division. Debbie Randall placed second, Raylyn Braunworth placed 14th, Linda Cruze placed 19th, and Sue Woller placed 31st out of the 44 individual competitors. The District team placed fourth out of 11 teams. Because of her stellar performance, Debbie Randall will defend her regional title at the State Road-eo in Pasco on Saturday, June 28, during the Washington Association for Pupil Transportation Conference.

Before the Road-eo gets rolling, competitors complete a written test with 50 questions covering everything from first aid, transportation rules and regulations, and emergency preparedness. They also demonstrate they know how to check their bus’ lights, wheels, and gauges, just as drivers do before every route. Then the rubber hits the road as drivers maneuver through tasks such as parallel parking, properly crossing a rail road, keeping their tires between a skinny strip of tennis balls, loading students, and turning while keeping the proper distance between the bus and the curb.

Two drivers, Alaine Tibbetts and Donna Patterson, competed in the Special Needs Division as a team. They placed second and will also compete at State Road-eo. Their course included loading and securing a wheel chair and car seat, emergency bus evacuation, and managing passengers with challenging behavior.

Like any good Road-eo, the crowd—filled with at least 50 of our bus drivers and their families—went wild for especially clean “rides.”