By Scott Taylor,Staff Writer

Twin Cities bus driver Dave Webster struck gold in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, beating out the best from around the country to win a national bus wrangling title.

Webster, a paratransit driver for Western Maine Transportation Service, posted a score of 873 points at the Community Transportation Association’s bus division title event – five points better than his nearest competitor.

It was Webster’s third attempt to claim the national honors. He topped 58 other bus drivers from Utah to British Columbia in a test of transportation safety knowledge and bus driving skill to claim the Community Transportation Association’s bus division title.

Webster has been the top Maine driver for three straight years. Sandy Buchanan, Webster’s boss at Western Maine Transportation Service, said the competition for the national title is tougher, the courses tighter and pressure more intense.

“He didn’t go in thinking he was going to win,” Buchanan said. “He was aiming for fourth or fifth place at best. So he was so excited when he called to tell us he won.”

Drivers in both the state and national contest first take a written exam to test their knowledge of arcane bus rules and safety procedures. That national test was on Saturday.

On Sunday, they competed in a series of driving skills – maneuvering the bus through slalom courses, backing up while turning right and left, stopping on demand and close to a curb as well as passing around an obstacle.

Drivers are judged on how close they come to each obstacle without knocking over any traffic cones, as well as how smoothly they perform their maneuvers. They also have to complete all the events within nine minutes.

Webster drives a paratransit bus for Western Maine. That’s a full-sized bus equipped to carry riders in wheelchairs to appointments around Lewiston and Auburn. It gives him an advantage, Buchanan said.

“As a paratransit driver, he goes door-to-door, and that involves pulling into and out of a lot of driveways and narrow streets,” Buchanan said. “It’s always different, and he runs into a lot of things a regular fixed route driver might not encounter.”

Webster is scheduled to return to Maine on Wednesday and should be back to work on Friday. Buchanan said Western Maine is planning some sort of celebration to welcome him back.

“Right now, we’re trying to get some sort of banner to stretch across the building before he gets back,” she said. “We’re really proud of him.”

He claimed a national trophy and a $750 cash prize for his efforts.

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