Life in the bus lane -- Minnesota transit drivers compete in Rochester

Jul. 22—ROCHESTER — Chris Daniels might have had a home field advantage at the Minnesota Public Transit Association's (MPTA) annual Bus Roadeo.

The event was held in Rochester Saturday, July 22, 2023 at Rochester Technical and Community College.

The vehicles put to use to navigate an obstacle course that tests transit drivers' skills were the same ones he uses as a driver for Rochester Public Transit (RPT). It was also his birthday.

That might explain why he won the large bus category of the competition for the second year in a row Saturday.

However, it doesn't account for his first-place finish last year when the state contest held in Austin, Minnesota. Nor does it explain his two appearances at the American Public Transit Association's (APTA) national competition and and his first-place finishes in the state competition in 2013 and 2015.

Daniels is the only RPT driver ever to compete at the national level.

"I have a knack for it apparently," he said.

You wouldn't think that by watching his reaction after driving the large bus course Saturday morning. He shook his head after completing the course.

His reaction was the same as all the drivers.

"You always feel like you could've done better," Daniels said.

Nick Lemmer, RPT communications and outreach coordinator, greeted each driver after they drove the course. Lemmer is also a member of the MPTA board of directors.

"How'd it go?" Lemmer asked Brad Schnieder, a driver with the Twin Cities Met Transit. Schnieder shook his head.

"The mirrors," he said, pointing to one of the pairs of side-mounted mirrors on the RPT bus. "The mirrors aren't what I'm used to."

The timed course was designed by the APTA testing drivers' accuracy, agility in handling the buses. It is meant to challenge drivers. Markers including road cones and cardboard balls are set up in a course. Drivers maneuver, turn, back up and drive through each challenge. A perfect score is not a likely outcome.

"It's not whether you knock down any road cones," Lemmer said. "It's how many you knocked over and which ones."

Some drivers have the course down to a science, said Ryan Daniel, president of the MPTA board of directors. However, the course and the scores are only part of the event. It's a chance for drivers to show their skill and driving abilities in front of other professionals and a chance for camaraderie.

Daniel, a driver in New York City before coming to Minnesota, wondered how he would fare in the course.

"I wish I could get behind the wheel and just give it a go," he said.

"We're all here to support one another," said Julie Dockendorf, of St. Cloud Metro Transit.

Drivers from 23 transit and transportation agencies across Minnesota competed. They compete in either the small bus or large bus courses, except for Ann Trusty, a driver from Mankato, who competed in both categories Saturday.

The winners will represent Minnesota in the national competition just as Charles Daniels did last year. Daniels has competed in the state competition each of his 10 years he's been driving for RPT.

This was her first MPTA Bus Roadeo for Dockendorf in her 43 years as a transit driver — 31 of them with St. Cloud Metro. She finished second in the large bus competition. Her colleague Dave Peacock won the small bus category.

She was unsure about her finish, but said she "nailed" an obstacle measuring the control of the bus's dual rear wheels that usually gets her in the St. Cloud qualifying Bus Roadeo. The course was somewhat exhausting, she added.

"Add some nerves, add some orange cones you might or might not have knocked over and you're done," she said.

The awards ceremony, handed out at a dinner Saturday evening, was a bit more relaxing. A second place finish might have helped too.