Provincial Bus Road-e-o Results: Wolf Creek takes home trophies at Provincial School Bus Road-e-o
Competing against the top school bus drivers in Alberta, three Wolf Creek Public Schools (WCPS) drivers brought home some hardware from the Provincial School Bus Road-e-o.
The competition, June 4 at the Alberta Motor Transportation Association (AMTA) site in Nisku, challenged 65 drivers from thirteen companies through a written test and 11 obstacles in a professional skills course including: country turn around, student pick up, railroad crossing and right turn, parallel park, curb park, diminishing clearance, left turn, offset alley, straight line and stop line.
Wolf Creek drivers placed in the top three in the small bus category. Dodo Freerksen took second, while Jordan Freerksen, who drives for Wolf Creek schools via First Student, took third place. Terry Campbell from Southland Edmonton placed first. Wolf Creek drivers Sheila Talbot and Jerry Witvoet competed in the big bus category. Kelly Frere from Chinook’s Edge School Division took first place.
“Wolf Creek was extremely pleased to be a part of the School Bus Road-e-o again after a couple of years of not being able to compete due to COVID,” said Betty Clark, WCPS transportation manager. “We had strong competitors compete at the local level to advance to the provincial level. Our drivers are always looking forward to competing as well as reconnecting with fellow bus drivers.”
There was also a surprise event which enticed the drivers by offering a cash stipend for stopping with the passenger front tire on an envelope placed on the ground in the path of the driving course.
Forty-one of the 65 drivers were first time competitors so the future of Road-e-o in Alberta is strong.
Thirteen bus companies competed including: Chinook’s Edge School Division, Elk Island Catholic School Division, Elk Island Public School Division, First Student (Airdrie, Calgary, Edmonton, Grand Prairie, Rimbey), Parkland School Division, Peace Wapiti Public Schools, Pembina Hills, Prairie Bus Lines, Red Deer Catholic School Division, Southland (Calgary, Cochrane, Edmonton, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Okotoks), Sparksman Transportation, Stock Transportation and Wolf Creek Public Schools.