WYOMING, Mich. — Lawn games and lounge chairs welcomed employees and their families to Affordable Limousine’s headquarters on June 28. Inside, a buffet of hamburgers, hot dogs, salads and desserts filled the lobby. Later that afternoon, an ice cream truck rolled into the parking lot, handing out frozen treats courtesy of company owner Justin Williams.
Just beyond the picnic, however, nearly 500 tennis balls and 100 orange traffic cones transformed the parking lot into a precision-driving course where motorcoach drivers maneuvered through backing exercises, tight turns, and other real-world challenges that tested the skills they rely on every day to safely transport passengers.
Affordable Limousine, based in the Grand Rapids suburb of Wyoming, blended its second annual Bus Rodeo with a company picnic, inviting spouses, children, parents and grandchildren to cheer on drivers, volunteer as judges and scorekeepers, and gain a behind-the-scenes look at the skill, precision and professionalism required to safely operate a motorcoach.
The concept was championed by Safety and Training Manager Omar Gomez-Mulero, who spent months planning the event. He says he took inspiration from the work of Mark Szyperski, president and CEO of On Your Mark Transportation LLC and organizer of the United Motorcoach Association’s International Driver Competition and several regional competitions, including the one this month at the Midwest Bus & Motorcoach Association Convention in South Bend, Indiana, to develop a course. The winner of the upcoming competition was awarded a trip to the UMA EXPO in San Antonio to compete in its competition in January.
“We wanted to make it a family event,” Gomez-Mulero said. “We want a fun environment, because sometimes drivers look at this as a challenge where they’re being watched and judged. That’s not what this is.”…