Once again Duluth Transit Authority members represented our region with some impressive skills at the 2021 Minnesota State Bus Roadeo in St. cloud last weekend. Duluth Bus Operators Paul Mattson and Rick Roser competed in the competition at the St. Cloud University Campus on July 10 and took home some top prizes.

Paul Mattson won first place, and Rick Roser took third.  Both of them have been top three winners in past years. In 2018, Paul Mattson won first place when the competition was held in Duluth.

Duluth Transit Authority
Duluth Transit Authority
loading...

So what exactly is a Bus Roadeo? Here's a great video of what the competition looks like from a drone perspective and also the driver's view.

The driving event is designed to test the skills of bus operators. Exercises include obstacle avoidance, turning skills, parking precision, closing distance, and other things a bus driver encounters in daily driving. If you've seen buses trying to navigate through the downtown Duluth construction in the last few years, you definitely know how important these skills are.

KOOL 101.7 logo
Get our free mobile app

There is a large bus competition division and also a small bus competition. There were 11 large bus competitors and 15 small bus competitors this year in 2021. There was not a competition in 2020 because of COVID-19. You can see past winners on the MPTA website. 

Duluth Transit Authority General Manager Rod Fournier is proud of his employees,

“The DTA is proud of the skills and professionalism of our Bus Operators.  Seeing Paul and Rick come back with these results is no surprise, and really speaks to their talent and dedication that they both bring to work every day.”

LOOK: Here is the richest town in each state

Just saying the names of these towns immediately conjures up images of grand mansions, luxury cars, and ritzy restaurants. Read on to see which town in your home state took the title of the richest location and which place had the highest median income in the country. Who knows—your hometown might even be on this list.

KEEP READING: Here are the most popular baby names in every state

Using March 2019 data from the Social Security Administration, Stacker compiled a list of the most popular names in each of the 50 states and Washington D.C., according to their 2018 SSA rankings. The top five boy names and top five girl names are listed for each state, as well as the number of babies born in 2018 with that name. Historically common names like Michael only made the top five in three states, while the less common name Harper ranks in the top five for 22 states.

Curious what names are trending in your home state? Keep reading to see if your name made the top five -- or to find inspiration for naming your baby.

See the Must-Drive Roads in Every State

 

More From KOOL 101.7