GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Anthony Bowman, a motorcoach driver with only six months of experience, has won first place in the Midwest Bus and Motorcoach Association’s (MBMCA) annual driving competition.
Representing Affordable Limousine in Grand Rapids, Bowman will now advance to the UMA International Drivers Competition in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, part of the UMA Motorcoach EXPO, scheduled for February 20-23, 2025.
The two-day MBMCA conference kicked off today in Grand Rapids, where Bowman emerged victorious. “It was all fun for me,” said Bowman, who has been a commercial driver for decades, including 14 years as a heavy-duty tow truck driver. His previous experience, he noted, has taught him patience, which he leveraged to win this competition.
Omar Gomez-Mulero, Bowman’s supervisor, expressed pride in Bowman’s achievement. “I’m excited that he’s part of our team,” said Gomez-Mulero.
Cherie Hime, executive director of MBMCA, highlighted the event’s success, noting a record attendance of 17 participants. Second and third place were claimed by Bill Mong and Joanna Hamilton, respectively, both drivers with Compass Coach, another Grand Rapids area company.
Hamilton, ecstatic about placing in her first bus driving competition, found “the Serpentine,” a zigzag course segment, to be the most challenging part.
Hamilton has been with Compass for about 18 months, previously driving school buses.
For Mong, this marks his second win in the MBMCA competition. He previously won third place at the conference in Des Moines, Iowa.
“I’m moving up,” he said with a smile.
The competition course, held in Cornerstone University’s parking lot, presented unexpected challenges.
“We thought we had more space than initially thought, and we didn’t, so we had to rearrange it to fit with what we had,” explained Mark Szyperski, CEO of On Your Mark Transportation, who designed the course. Szyperski praised the drivers for their performance and emphasized the importance of such skill events.
He noted that the high level of participation—17 drivers, including nine from Compass Coach—is the highest for any regional bus event or private company competition he’s organized so far this year.
He expects even higher participation in the UMA International Drivers Competition, noting that Tennessee Motor Coach Association and the California Bus Association held competitions this year – for the first time in years.
