LATHAM, N.Y. — The New York School Bus Contractors Association (NYSBCA) announced the top finishers in the 47th Annual New York State School Bus Safety Competition, held on Saturday in Valley Cottage.

“Despite the rain, the 47th Annual New York State School Bus Safety Competition, the largest and only statewide competition of its kind in New York, was a huge success,” said Bree Allen, president of the NYSBCA. “Every driver who took part in the competition not only demonstrated tremendous knowledge about student safety, they displayed exceptional driving skills that set the standard for all school bus drivers to follow. Our congratulations go out to all the competitors.”

Nearly 100 drivers took part in the competition.  Each competed in a specific school bus division, from large buses (Type C and D) to smaller vehicles (Type A).  

The day began with a comprehensive written exam on school bus safety, and throughout the afternoon drivers tested their skills with a variety of hands-on activities, including vehicle inspections, loading and unloading students, operating a school bus through various driving courses, and managing railroad crossings.   

Here are this year’s winners in each category:

Conventional Bus (Type C):

1st: Karen Lucadamo, Suffolk Transportation Service (Suffolk County)
2nd: John Moore, Suffolk Transportation Service (Suffolk County)
3rd: Patty Antonetti, Quality Bus Service (Orange County)
4th: Joyce Olenick, Towne Bus (Holtsville)
5th: Henry Dominguez, WE Transport (Bridgeport)

Small Bus (Type A):

1st: Geoffrey Roan, Educational Bus Transportation (Copiague)
2nd: Donna Brown, Suffolk Transportation Service (Suffolk County)
3rd: Richard Tunstall, Towne Bus (Bay Shore)
4th: Eugene Sangnier, Rolling V Bus Corp. (Sullivan County)
5th: James Baumer, WE Transport (Holtsville)

Transit (Type D):

1st: Elizabeth Santana, Towne Bus (Westchester County)
2nd: Jose Torres, Towne Bus (Holtsville)
3rd: Marc Eugene, Educational Bus Transportation (Copiague)
4th: Deneen Medlock, First Student (Hicksville)
5th: Samuel Auguste, Chestnut Ridge Transportation (Spring Valley)

Rookie of the Year:

Eugene Sangnier, Rolling V Bus Corp. (Sullivan County)

“The competition was also a big win for student safety, as all of the drivers will take what they learned and apply their knowledge and skills to their day-to-day driving at their respective school districts and private school transportation companies,” Allen added.  

The winners of the competition are now eligible to compete in the National School Transportation Association’s School Bus Driver International Safety Competition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 21 and 22.