More Than a Ride to School
The National Education Association claims．“The school bus is a mirror of the community．”
They further add that，unfortunately, what appears on the exterior does not always reflect the
reality of a chosen community．They are right--sometimes it reflects more! Just ask Liesl
Denson. Riding the school bus has been more than a ride to school for Liesl．
Bruce Hardy．school bus driver for Althouse BUS Company has been Liesl’s bus driver since
kindergarten．Last year when Liesl’s family moved to Parkesburg，knowing her bus went by her
new residence。she requested to ride the same bus
This year Liesl is a senior and will enjoy her last year riding the bus．She says，”It’s been a
great ride so far! My bus driver is so cool and has always been a good friend and a good listener．Sometimes when you’re a child adults do not think that what you have to say is important．y always listens to what you have to say and makes you feel important．’’Her friends Ashley Batista and Amanda Wolfe agree．
Bruce Hardy has been making Octorara students feel special since 1975. This year he will celebrate 30 years working for Althouse Bus Company，Larry Althouse，president of the company,acknowledges Bruce Hardy’s outstanding record：“You do not come by employees like Bruce
these days. He has never missed a day of work and has a perfect driving record．He was
recognized in 2000 by the Pennsylvania School Bus Association for driving 350,000 accidentfree miles．Hardy’s reputation is made further evident through the relationships he has made withthe students that ride his bus．”
Althouse further adds，‘‘Althouse Bus Company was established 70 years ago and has been
providing quality transportation ever since．My grandfather started the business with one bus．
Althouse Bus Company is delighted to have the opportunity to bring distinctive and safe service
to our local school and community and looks forward to continuing to provide quality service for
many more years to come．’’
Three generations of business is not all the company has enjoyed．Thanks to drivers like
Bruce Hardy，they have been building relationships through generations，Liesl’s mother Carol
also enjoys fond memories of riding Bruce Hardy’s bus to the Octorara School District．
