Where the Yellow Bus Takes Us: School Bus Fleet's 2026 Photo of the Year Winners

Management•Photos 8•July 27, 2026

From blooming azaleas in coastal Georgia to misty mornings in Texas and sweeping Western landscapes, School Bus Fleet's 2026 Photo of the Year Contest perfectly portrays the beauty, purpose, and reach of the iconic school bus. With over 100 submissions for the 22nd edition of School Bus Fleet’s annual photo contest, these eight were our favorites for their showcase of the bus throughout all seasons, terrain, and through everyday moments.

Check out last year's winners here, and submit for 2027 here!

Topics:Photo Gallery Contest School Bus Fleet Management

A yellow school bus is parked outside a school beneath a large oak tree with blooming white blossoms, framed by white buildings and a bright blue spring sky. — **WINNER: Eduardo Hernandez**
*San Luis Coastal Unified School District – San Luis Obispo, California*
Framed by sprawling oak branches and blooming trees, this sunny California scene caught the eye of driver Eduardo Hernandez in Santa Ynez while on a field trip run. As Hernandez put it: "Under bright skies and blooming trees, the yellow school bus carries tomorrow's dreams."
Credit:
Eduardo Hernandez

A yellow school bus is parked beside vibrant pink azalea bushes beneath sprawling oak trees draped with Spanish moss along a quiet, tree-lined roadway. — **WINNER: Jean "J.J." Bellemare**
*Bryan County Schools – Black Creek, Georgia*
Spring has arrived in coastal Georgia’s Richmond Hill area. School bus driver and CDL trainer J.J. Bellemare captured his bus nestled beside a burst of blooming azaleas at their seasonal peak, next to giant live oak trees, exemplifying the beauty of Georgia’s lowcountry scenery.
Credit:
Jean "J.J." Bellemare

An aerial view shows dozens of yellow school buses parked around a transportation facility surrounded by farmland, silos, and rural roads under an overcast autumn sky. — **WINNER: Ronald Powell**
*Kobussen Buses – Kaukauna, Wisconsin*
There’s just something about the simple life amid a serene Midwestern morning. Here, a drone’s eye view reveals Kobussen’s Kaukauna terminal waking up for another day of transporting students last fall.
Credit:
Ronald Powell

A yellow school bus is parked in front of Multnomah Falls, where water cascades down a rocky cliff surrounded by evergreen trees dusted with snow beneath a cloudy sky. — **HONORABLE MENTION:** **Josh Thomas**
*Team QRT – Archdale, North Carolina*
On its way from Thomas Built Buses in North Carolina to its dealer destination more than 2,500 miles away, this brand-new bus paused for a memorable photo at Oregon's Multnomah Falls. Fortunately for us, driver Josh Thomas is also an accomplished hobby photographer.
Credit:
Josh Thomas

A lone yellow school bus travels along a narrow road through a vast golden grassland surrounded by rolling hills under a clear blue sky, emphasizing the scale of the landscape. — **HONORABLE MENTION: Sergio Aristizabal**
*Marsing School District – Marsing, Idaho*
This bus may be small in the frame, but it tells a big story. While transporting advanced biology students on a field trip near Jordan Valley in Oregon's Owyhee Mountains, now-district director Sergio Aristizabal trekked up a nearby hill to capture the vast landscape surrounding their journey.
Credit:
Sergio Aristizabal

A yellow school bus emerges from dense morning fog at the edge of a parking lot, with a row of tall pine trees fading into the mist beneath a pale blue sky. — **HONORABLE MENTION:** **Elizabeth Torres**
*Nacogdoches ISD – Texas*
Emerging from a blanket of East Texas fog, a school bus makes a quiet return trip to base. Driver Elizabeth Torres noticed this cinematic-worthy scene one January morning. She said: “As a driver, my day begins long before the world wakes up. I captured this image in the quiet moments before starting my morning route. The dense fog created a fleeting second of absolute stillness, highlighting the heavy responsibility and quiet beauty of the journey ahead.”
Credit:
Elizabeth Torres

Several parked yellow school buses are reflected in a large puddle on a cold morning, creating a mirror image of the buses and blue sky across the water. — **HONORABLE MENTION: Corinne Bostwick**
*Rohrer Bus Service* *– Duncannon, Pennsylvania*
Sometimes the best perspective comes from looking down. After a typical afternoon run, Corinne Bostwick spotted a few of Rohrer’s buses reflected in a puddle, and turned an ordinary parking lot into something extraordinary.
Credit:
Corinne Bostwick

A heart-shaped puddle sits on a gravel road beside a school bus. The bus is reflected in the round crossover mirror while golden morning sunlight illuminates nearby fields. — **HONORABLE MENTION:** **Stephanie Jane Weissmann**
*Dwight Township High School – Dwight, Illinois*
A rainy morning delivered an unexpected surprise for driver Stephanie Weissmann. After backing into a student's driveway on her rural morning route, she noticed a perfectly heart-shaped puddle reflecting the sky: a small reminder of why so many in this industry love what they do.
Credit:
Stephanie Jane Weissmann