On June 21, the Falcon D 49 transportation department participated in the state”road-eo” in Pueblo, Colo. The annual event allows many of the drivers to compete for the honor of “Best School Bus Driver” in the state.The all-day event required drivers to take a written test and perform a detailed pre-trip of a school bus, which included looking for safety issues and demonstrating competence in driving skills. The first-place winners of each division are eligible to compete in the national road-eo, held in Minneapolis, Minn., on July 10 and July 11.Congratulations to Al Boyce and Mike Mauth from Falcon School District 49 for their first-place win in their respective divisions. Boyce and Mauth are on their way to the internationals, representing D 49 and the state of Colorado. Boyce is not a newcomer to the road-eo events. He has won state championships numerous times in the transit bus division. Mauth has been driving for just two years.Bus drivers and trainers Mike Ingraham and Janet Ulrich captured third place in the special-needs segment for Falcon 49. Ingraham and Ulrich were required to perform a mock evacuation of special needs kids, showing their proficiency in car-seat installation and driving skills and written knowledge.Almost 100 school bus champion drivers from across Canada and the United States competed for top honors in the 34th International School Bus Drivers Safety Competition in Minneapolis. Boyce won first place in the transit division, and Mauth won third place in the conventional bus division. This is the first time Colorado Springs has had champions in any division.Sponsored by the National School Transportation Association, the School Bus Driver International Safety Competition is designed to recognize excellence in school bus drivers. In all, 98 school bus drivers from 30 states and two Canadian provinces Canada competed.Falcon D 49 is proud these driving champions are working for the school district, as it reinforces the district’s commitment to excellence and demonstrates the caliber of the professional school bus drivers.
