Anderson named school bus driver of the year

MARINETTE — The wheels on the bus go round and round — and for 27 years Dan Anderson has been making sure students on his route in the Marinette School District get to and from school safely.

Anderson, who drives for Westlund Bus Lines, received the 2024 Excellence in School Bus Driving Award last month at the Wisconsin School Bus Association convention in La Crosse.

He’s the first driver from Westlund to earn the bus driver of the year honor.

Tom Westlund, who has owned the bus line since 1977, explained why he nominated Anderson for the award.

“He has all of this experience,” he said. “He gets along with the youngsters very well. He is one of those people that is firm with the youngsters — they’ve got to follow the rules — but by the same token, the kids love him. He just does a wonderful job. He’s had a couple different routes and all the kids love him.”

Anderson said he’s not the kind of person who seeks accolades.

“I thought it was odd because I was just doing my job,” he said. “We have a lot of really awesome bus drivers that do great things as well throughout the year. I realize they’ve got to pick somebody and they picked me. I don’t take that type of recognition real well. It’s not ever something I strive for — to get awards or recognition. I just try to do a good job and be proud of myself.”

Westlund said Anderson has multiple duties at the company. Besides driving a route during the school year, he’s been the safety director for 25 years. That entails training other bus drivers. He also drives a motor coach on trips, serves as an escort (sort of an itinerary manager) on those trips and handles a load of complex permits. Anderson also is a certified drug and alcohol technician, which means he must administer pre-employment, post-accident and random drug and alcohol tests.

The company currently has about 25 drivers, but Westlund said they always need more.

Of all his duties, Anderson said he enjoys driving the most.

“School bus driving is the fun part,” he said. “You develop relationships. Some kids, I actually drove their parents to school.”

Anderson said he treats all children with respect at a young age and it pays off because they return the same respect as they age.

“I just love going and picking up the kids in the morning and seeing them and just getting them to school and knowing they got there safe and they’re having a good day,” he said. “And then take them home at the end of the day. I really just enjoy driving the kids to school.”

Marinette School District Superintendent Corry Lambie knows Anderson in his role as an administrator and as a parent — both of his grown daughters rode on Anderson’s route when they were younger.

“Very proud,” Lambie said. “Dan has been safely transporting our students, athletes, coaches, chaperones and staff members for 27 years. Being recognized as the Wisconsin school bus driver of the year is certainly a huge honor and very well deserved. As a district, he’s an asset to the students, families and community of Marinette and we couldn’t be more proud.”

He described Anderson’s personality.

“He’s a happy person who’s in it for the right reasons,” Lambie said. “He enjoys picking up kids and delivering kids every day. I remember the days of (Anderson) picking up both of my girls when they attended Garfield School many years ago and making them feel safe and comfortable as they got on the bus and starting the day off. I don’t think people realize, a lot of times, the first adult and the last adult that a student sees is often times the bus driver. So they can really set the tone for a student’s day. For Dan to be recognized as the Wisconsin bus driver of the year is just a huge honor for him to show that he finds a way to make sure kids feel safe and welcome as they get on the bus every single day.”

Westlund said Anderson is ultra alert and constantly looking out for the safety of the children.

“You have to pay attention all the time,” Anderson said. “It’s about being ‘on’ — watching everything around you. We always say complacency is when accidents happen. As soon as you start to think — ‘I do this route every day and nothing ever happens’ — well, that’s when something’s going to happen.”

Anderson said he’s noticed there are more drivers on their phones and being distracted in other ways. He said local law enforcement does a great job when bus drivers are able to identify those who violate the rules.

“The majority that run the red lights are literally startled when they finally realize what they’ve done because they are just not paying attention,” Anderson said. “I often wonder how a person can’t see a big yellow bus with flashing red lights on it while they’re driving down the road. I guess it’s easy to get distracted nowadays.”

He made sure to give the children credit for making his job enjoyable.

“I think we have a pretty good busload of kids,” Anderson said. “I always tell them they’re good kids and because of them we have a good bus. We all work together.”