Every school day begins with a simple moment of trust.

Parents stand at the end of their driveways or neighborhood corners and watch their children climb aboard one of our buses. With a wave goodbye, they entrust us with something precious: getting their child safely to school and home again.

That trust is something our family has never taken for granted.

Our story began in 1938, long before Kobussen Buses became one of Wisconsin's largest student transportation providers. Our grandfather, Elwood "Grandpa Goldie" Kobussen, wasn't looking to build a transportation company. He was a dairy farmer and trucker hauling milk through rural Wisconsin when he noticed children in his community needed a dependable way to get to Kaukauna High School.

So, he made room for them on his truck and drove them himself.

There was no business plan or grand vision, just a neighbor helping neighbors.

When the Kaukauna School District established an agricultural education program later that year, it needed a formal transportation system for students living in the countryside. Goldie was awarded the contract, purchased a school bus, and began what would become a family business that now spans four generations.

That tradition has always been about more than buses. It has been about communities.

Goldie built the business one bus at a time. As communities grew, so did we — not simply because we added more vehicles, but because more families placed their trust in us. Today, nearly 90 years later, Kobussen Buses partners with more than 30 public school districts and numerous private and parochial schools, serving communities across Wisconsin.

Four Generations of Advancing School Bus Safety

While much has changed since 1938, one thing has remained constant: every student who boards one of our buses deserves to be cared for as if they were one of our own. That belief guides every decision we make.

It drives our commitment to safety, from investing in the latest vehicle technologies to maintaining rigorous driver training and vehicle maintenance standards. Our technicians receive ongoing professional training and have earned national recognition for their expertise. Our drivers complete comprehensive training programs, including skid pad training at Fox Valley Technical College, years before it became an industry expectation.

Safety has never been something we do because regulations require it. We do it because families trust us with their children.

That commitment to student transportation runs deep in our family's history. Goldie's oldest son, Jim Kobussen, helped pioneer school bus driver training programs in Wisconsin, working alongside Fox Valley Technical College to develop many of the standards still used today. He also recognized the value of recruiting and training women as professional drivers at a time when few companies were doing so. Today, women make up half of our workforce, which reflects a culture built on opportunity, professionalism, and respect.

Serving communities also means preparing for the future.

Today, members of our family's fourth generation are actively involved in the business, carrying forward the same commitment to safety, service, and community that began with Grandpa Goldie nearly 90 years ago. While each generation has embraced new technologies and new ways of serving schools, the values behind every decision remain unchanged.

As student transportation has evolved, so have we. We continually evaluate new technologies, routing systems, and vehicle options that improve safety, reliability, and environmental responsibility.

In 2014, our family began expanding our fleet to include alternative fuels alongside traditional diesel and gasoline buses. Today, our fleet includes propane-powered buses that are clean and dependable, even during Wisconsin's harsh winters.

Ironically, propane isn't new to us.

We experimented with it decades ago, during the 1970s and early 1980s, when nearly all of our buses were gasoline-powered. While propane was exceptionally clean, the technology of the time wasn't well suited for Wisconsin winters. Modern liquid propane injection systems changed everything, making propane one of the safest, most efficient, and reliable fuels we operate today.

Innovation isn't about following trends. It's about making thoughtful investments that better serve the students, schools, and communities that rely on us every day.

Those communities also rely on the people behind the wheel.

Investing in School Bus Drivers and the Future of Student Transportation

Like transportation providers across the country, we've experienced the challenges of a nationwide driver shortage. That's why we work hard to remain an employer of choice by investing in our employees, supporting their professional growth and creating a workplace where people choose to build careers serving their neighbors.

Our responsibility extends beyond the communities we serve each day. Through active leadership in state and national transportation organizations, including the National School Transportation Association, the Wisconsin School Bus Association and the Wisconsin Motor Coach Association, we advocate for stronger safety standards, thoughtful legislation and continued advancement across the student transportation industry.

For us, this has never been about checking boxes or chasing the latest buzzwords, but more so about honoring a responsibility that began with one farmer who simply wanted to help the children in his community get to school.

Every morning, buses still pull up to thousands of homes across Wisconsin. Children climb aboard carrying backpacks, lunchboxes and dreams for the day ahead. Parents wave goodbye knowing someone they trust is behind the wheel.

Nearly 90 years after Grandpa Goldie first offered children a ride to school, we still believe in the same simple principle that started it all:

Neighbors helping neighbors.

It's how our family business began.

It's how we serve our communities today.

And it's how we'll continue earning the trust of Wisconsin families for generations to come.

About the Author: Samantha (Sam) Kobussen Gerrits is a marketing professional and graphic designer specializing in communications, branding, social media, and recruitment marketing. She currently serves as a Marketing Specialist at CESA 6, where she supports initiatives that advance education and leadership across Wisconsin. Sam also contributes to marketing efforts for Kobussen Buses, a fourth-generation family-owned transportation company, helping strengthen community engagement, recruitment, and brand awareness. Passionate about storytelling and creative problem-solving, she enjoys developing campaigns that connect people, organizations, and ideas.

^{This article was authored and edited according to School Bus Fleet editorial standards and style. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of SBF or Bobit Business Media.}