BCS bus driver advances to state finals

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Three Bellefontaine City Schools’ bus drivers competed in the regional school bus road-e-o at Indian Lake High School earlier this month.

BCS bus driver Jen Lynch placed third overall, and will advance to the state competition, set for May 4 at Hilliard Middle School.

BCS drivers Penny Smith and Kimberly Taylor also competed at the regional event, which featured more than 70 drivers.

Drivers were tested on state and federal regulations in a written test form. Drivers then were asked to find five safety defects on a school bus that were preset by the road-e-o committee.

Drivers boarded a bus and competed in the following maneuvers: left turn (must be so many inches from the curb), forward and reverse serpentine, offset street, diminishing clearance, student pick-up & drop-off procedures, forward stop bar (must be 4 inches from the stop bar), railroad tracks procedures, turnaround, and post trip inspection, where the driver checked all the seats including behind the back seat.

“BCS takes pride in knowing we have knowledgeable and safety-oriented drivers transporting our most precious cargo,” Bellefontaine City Schools Transportation Supervisor Tammie Garman said.