Mary Jane Tortorici

In a competition staged for about 26 years, 37 drivers from across Central New York gathered at Hancock Airport for the 2003 event and Mary Jane Tortorici, 60, from Auburn's Centro station, came out on top.

"It's basically just to see how you handle the bus," Tortorici explained.
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One of the hardest parts of each competition is the fact that Tortorici cannot use her own bus from Auburn.Whichever competition she is at, she must use the bus provided by whichever company is holding the roadeo.The provided bus could be too long and not handle the same way, and each driver only gets about seven minutes to become familiar with the ride before it's time to compete.

"I could take my bus almost anywhere," Tortorici said."But if I get another bus, until I know how that bus corners, I'm not going to do well."

This year, however, is not the first time Tortorici has won at the regional competition.She won her way to nationals in 2001 and in 1987, held in Philadelphia and Detroit respectively.Tortorici placed somewhere in the middle at those competitions but was proud she made it that far.The prize in the competition is a $1,000 savings bond.

"It's a very tough thing, very nerve-wracking," she said of nationals competition."We're talking about the best of the best so you've got to be really on your game."

Tortorici has been driving a bus since 1971 when she started as a school bus driver for the Auburn schools.Her husband at the time was driving a bus and she needed work, so she decided to give it a try.

Born and raised in Skaneateles, Tortorici graduated from Skaneateles High School and held various odd jobs, including working at General Electric for five years.

Growing up, she wanted to be a teacher.But her family had six children and little money, so she had to go out and join the work force.She does, however, have a few credits at the community college and intends to someday go back to earn more.

Tortorici drove a school bus for Golden Arrow, the company that came before Laidlaw in making school buses.

In 1975, she started driving part-time for Centro while still driving Auburn school buses.In 1979, she started with Centro full time.

She doesn't miss driving school buses.

"I tried not to do middle school because those are the worst group of kids," she said."I've had my share, you can't really say that any group of kids is bad and any group is good."

Tortorici has been driving the same bus for a decade now, ever since it arrived brand new in 1993.Centro has a person to clean and maintain the bus but, as senior bus driver in Auburn, all she has to do is drive it and make sure it is nice each day.

The eight-wheeled, 40-foot long, 20-ton, Motor Coach Industries bus seats 44 passengers and is "top of the line," according to Tortorici.

The vehicle earned the nickname "Devil Bus" when it issued a bus transfer pass using her personal code on two separate occasions.Tortorici was not near the bus, nor was anyone else - Centro bus No. 669 simply issued the passes all on its own.

That gave it a bad reputation, but Tortorici simply calls it, "My Bus."

Being the senior bus driver, Tortorici gets to pick first which run she wants.She has been driving her current route for seven years now.Three times a day, morning, afternoon, and evening, she drives from Auburn to Syracuse and back again.On the first and the last trips she's mostly greeted with familiar faces as Tortorici's regulars board the bus.

"I know them all by name and they know me," Tortorici said."They know my grandchildren.You get pretty close to your people."

But not all trips are as easy.Although Tortorici is content to drive in all seasons, even enjoying the winter for the challenge of it, she still contends with rowdy children in the summer and, occasionally, drunken passengers.

"You can attempt to throw them off yourself, if they don't get off," she said.

She has even been in her fair share of accidents.One, in 1992, resulted in back problems.A car slammed into the side of her bus and she was injured now she is required to stand as much as she can, sitting only to drive the bus.

"I gripped the steering wheel so hard, the doctors said that when she hit me it caused my body to sway," Tortorici explained."And I pulled some ligaments in my back.They're always gonna be there."

Tortorici enjoys the driving, that's why she chose the run to Syracuse.She wouldn't like driving around in circles in the city.If she didn't have kids, she figures she would have driven for Greyhound.

When she's not driving a bus, Tortorici sits on the Executive Board of the drivers, union.She used to golf and bowl, but her back problems now prohibit those activities.

Tortorici plans to retire in October.Winning the state bus roadeo competition would be a memorable way to end her career, she said.

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