Metro Bus Drivers Saddle Up for 37th Annual Local Roadeo

(KNSI) – Forget horsepower. The real cowboys of central Minnesota drive something with a lot more seats.

Metro Bus Operators will trade their regular routes for an orange-cone obstacle course on Thursday, May 21st, when the 37th Annual Local Bus Roadeo rolls into the St. Cloud State University K-Lot next to the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. The action starts at 11:00 a.m. with the large Fixed Route buses, followed by the small Dial-a-Ride buses. Admission is free, and the public is invited to watch.

Metro Bus drivers have won the Minnesota State Roadeo 26 times and finished in the top four at the national competition on eight occasions, including two national championships.

Reigning Dial-a-Ride king David Peacock has been particularly hard to beat. Peacock has taken first place at the state level three years running, most recently at the 2025 statewide Bus Roadeo last July. Fellow Metro Bus operator Keith Drake finished second, and in the large bus division, Jason Hiivala took second, and Carl Hallberg took third. Hiivala was the 2025 local Fixed Route champion. Drake won the local Dial-a-Ride title the last two years running.

The course is no joke. Drivers navigate a timed obstacle layout of orange cones, hit acceleration and deceleration marks, and work through maneuvers that mimic real-world driving. Judges score them on cone avoidance, smooth stops and starts, keeping the right distance from obstacles, and more.

Top finishers in each division punch their ticket to the Minnesota Statewide Bus Roadeo on July 17th and 18th in Carver, hosted by Southwest Transit. Win there, and drivers become eligible for their respective national competitions.

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