After Phil Burkholder retired from working for Fillmore County for 28 years, he ran into Mark Scheevel at the post office one day. At that time, Scheevel was the owner of Harmony Transit; he approached Burkholder and suggested that he come and drive bus for him. Phil figured he already knew where people lived and it would get him out of the house.
Burkholder started driving buses for athletic events; soon he was subbing for route drivers and then eventually got his own regular route. Phil is a natural with the kids. He knows that he’s the first contact of the day for kids.
Phil’s favorite part about driving is seeing the kids each day. Greeting them with a smile and a twinkle in his eye, he lets the kids know he truly is happy to see them. Phil has been driving bus for Harmony Transit for 18 years (since 2007).
Another driver for Harmony Transit is Travis Willford; he got into driving the same way as Phil. When Travis’ kids became involved in sports and events in 2015, Travis wanted to go to the events. He figured he might as well drive the bus there as well. Soon, he too took on a daily route and has driven for Harmony Transit for 10 years.
Travis agreed with Phil that seeing the kids is the best reward for driving bus; he enjoys watching the kids grow up.
Burkholder and Willford deal with the rare issue with kids in much the same way. Phil commented that sometimes younger kids try to jerk his chain, but they soon stop. Travis said he calls the parents first and then lets manager Todd Kiehne know about the incident. The school administration also becomes involved if needed.
Owner Garrett Regan noted that the positives far outweigh the occasional issue. By building relationships with the kids first, the drivers end up with fewer issues.
Phil and Travis pointed out that the best way parents can support the bus drivers is by disciplining their children and teaching them to respect others. They shared that most of the kids are very respectful and thank them every day.
Both Burkholder and Willford applaud the great communication with the administration. The local superintendents are good about communicating with each other and make the calls for delays, early outs or snow days to keep the kids and buses safe. Elementary principal Jim Peters checks with the kids and drivers daily and deals with any small issues right away.
New technology and electronics have changed things for the drivers. Cameras have been purchased using a grant from the state of Minnesota. Each bus now has three cameras inside and another two outside the bus.
In the past, there were many cases of people disobeying buses stop arms; this year there were only two. With the cameras, the license plate numbers can be identified. The pictures are simply turned over to law enforcement for further investigation.
The cameras help with another challenge for Harmony Transit drivers – Amish buggies and horses. Burkholder actually had a horse run into his bus. Apparently, the horse was frightened by the big yellow bus and got spooked. The cameras provide an accurate picture of such encounters.
Both Phil and Travis enjoy the daily camaraderie with the other bus drivers (and the free coffee, according to Phil!). After the morning route is done, they spend some time with each other before going about the rest of the day. On Fridays, Phil often brings in his professionally packaged “homemade treats,” While they joke that “the social life isn’t very good here,” one of the former drivers continues to join the group after retiring several years ago!
Phil claims to spend his days washing windows, but Travis added with a chuckle that Phil golfs as well. Travis farms between his routes. New driver Frank Lehto interjected that he’d wanted a part ime job that wouldn’t “kill the day.” Lehto commented, “It’s like a really long lunch hour!”
The drivers are expected to clean and sweep their buses. In addition, Travis does some other bus maintenance. (The company also has a regular maintenance person.)
Along with the main perk of seeing the kids each day, the drivers appreciate the Christmas and end of the year gifts as well as the occasional treat from the kids. When asked what keeps them driving, Travis declared it was the good pay and benefits while Phil added, “Garrett’s good to the drivers!”
Garrett responded, “They earn it!’
On Bus Driver Appreciation Day, Garrett and Todd once again plan on taking all the drivers to B&B in Preston for breakfast. They obviously appreciate their staff and are happy to acknowledge them!
Everyone at the daily coffee time at the bus barn encouraged others to join their team as they pointed out that Harmony Transit covers the needed training right in Harmony. Garrett added that the company even has certified testers in the organization.
With a twinkle in his eye, Travis commented to anyone considering driving, “The kids aren’t all that bad!” You could tell he actually really loves driving and his kids! Fillmore Central is lucky to have such dedicated bus drivers who really care about their kids. Happy Bus Driver Appreciation Day!
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