In the spring of 1975, in a parking lot across from the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, the very first Metro Transit Bus Roadeo rolled into action.
“I didn’t drive in the Roadeo,” Bill Obedoza said.“But I helped build it.”
Bill was a newly minted Safety Supervisor and tasked with a big job: help design and set up a competitive obstacle course from the ground up that would test bus drivers on safety.
“They gave us the instructions and told us to figure out the rest,” he said. “So we did.”
The Bus Roadeo was modeled on real-world driving skills: tight right and left turns, backing into simulated stops, weaving through barrels without touching them. "It was about skill, not speed," Bill said. "We wanted to test how well drivers handled a bus, just like they would have to on the streets."
About 30 drivers participated in that first event. Today, that number exceeds 100. “That first one was a little rough around the edges,” Bill said. “But the basics of the course are still the same today.”
Over the years, the Bus Roadeo grew into a cornerstone of Metro Transit culture, part training, part competition, part community celebration. “You’d see the same faces year after year. Some drivers would train all year just to beat their time,” Bill said.
Even after retiring in 2001, after 27 years as a Safety Supervisor and 34 years total with Metro Transit, Bill continued to follow the Roadeo’s legacy with pride.
“I think what makes the Roadeo special is that it shows what this job really takes,” he said. “Anyone can drive a car. But maneuvering a 40-foot bus with passengers through tight turns, in snow or traffic—that takes talent. And the Roadeo lets those skills shine.”
Today, Bill enjoys retirement, but if you ask him about the Roadeo, his eyes still light up.
“Watching a driver thread a bus through those barrels without touching a thing? That’s something to see,” he said. “And knowing I helped start that, it still makes me proud.