Ohio Bus Driver Earns Association’s Driver of the Year Award
Jill Bush, a 13-year driver for Strongsville City Schools, wins the award from the Ohio Association for Pupil Transportation.

Jill Bush of Strongsville City Schools won the George Sontag Jr. School Bus Driver of the Year award for 2021.
Photo courtesy Jill Bush
The Ohio Association for Pupil Transportation (OAPT) recently awarded Jill Bush its Driver of the Year honor.
Bush has worked for Strongsville City Schools since 2008. Her nomination form noted her ability to form bonds with troubled students.
“I am truly honored to have received this award,” she said. “My grandmother was a school bus driver for over 30 years in Canastota, New York, and I’m happy to be following in her footsteps. I love my students and my co-workers in Strongsville City Schools. We are truly a family and work together to help each other out, every single day. It means so much to be recognized for doing a job I love so much.”
Minnesota Association Honors School Bus Drivers at Annual Conference
The George Sontag Jr. School Bus Driver of the Year award, according to OAPT’s website, is given in honor of Sontag – a charter member of the organization – “to recognize bus drivers who exhibit outstanding leadership and professional conduct in the school transportation field, both in the district they represent” and throughout Ohio.
Other 2021 award recipients include:
Michelle Main of Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Local Schools (Distinguished Service in Pupil Transportation)
Rose Duett of Sycamore Community Schools (School Bus Attendant of the Year)
Dave McClure of Ashland City School District (School Bus Mechanic of the Year)
More Management

5 Questions: How CharterUP Brought a Marketplace to Student Transportation
What does it take to bring a transportation marketplace into K-12? Hear firsthand what CharterUP has learned about the unique needs of schools and bus operators.
Read More →
EverDriven Expands TripCentral Transportation Management Platform to All Partner Districts
The platform provides school districts with real-time trip tracking, student transportation scheduling tools, and pickup and drop-off management capabilities.
Read More →
6 School Transportation Trends to Watch: 2026 District Survey Results
School bus buying is up, fuel choices are shifting, and driver shortages persist. This and more in the latest K-12 public school survey, plus the largest fleets in the U.S.
Read More →
The 100 Largest School Bus Fleets in America: 2026 Rankings
Which public K-12 school districts are the largest in the nation in terms of bus fleet size? Here are the new standings of the top 100 district fleets.
Read More →
EverDriven Launches Route Consolidation Calculator to Estimate Diesel Savings
As diesel prices hit record highs, the largest alternative transportation provider says a 10% route consolidation could save a 120-route district more than $78,000 a year in fuel alone.
Read More →
Zum Secures Continued Financing Support for School Bus Expansion
Generate Private Credit has financed approximately $75 million in school bus deployments across three states, supporting more than 500 buses as Zum expands across the county.
Read More →
Beyond Discipline: A Different Approach to Student Behavior on the Bus
After implementing a dean of students program in Oregon, North Clackamas is seeing positive improvements. Here’s how it worked. The Route is brought to you by IC Bus.
Read More →A Dean of Transportation's Different Approach to Student Behavior on the School Bus
After implementing a dean of students program in Oregon, North Clackamas is seeing positive improvements on the bus. Here’s how it worked.
Read More →
Inside NAPT ACTS 2026: Highlights from Louisville
From federal updates and student behavior strategies to new school bus technology and industry awards, see highlights from NAPT ACTS 2026 in Louisville.
Read More →
Meet the 2026 School Bus Driver Hero Winner: Annette Brown
We caught up with Wa-Nee Community Schools' Annette Brown on site at SBFX, where she was named the 2026 School Bus Driver Hero Award winner. Hear about her reaction, what she loves most about being a school bus driver, and more!
Read More →
