Bunnie Lehan – Bus Driver

Job Description: Bunnie transports elementary, middle and high school students from their homes along East Mercer Way to school. “I actually enjoy driving East Mercer Way, especially in the fall and spring. I even like it when something goes wrong and I have a new challenge like backing the bus around a fallen tree.”

Location: Maintenance, Operations and Transportation Building

Typical Day: Bunnie arrives at 6:30 am and gets ready for her morning run driving high school, middle and elementary school students. She drives kindergarten students at mid-day and elementary students in the afternoon. Bunnie drives 175-200 students every day. She usually goes home at 4:30 pm.

Best part of the job: “I love interacting with kids. They are a lot of fun and their lives are so happy and carefree. I try to be there when they need someone to talk to. Sometimes I feel like a mother hen! This year I have a few Japanese students who are learning to speak English. They were so scared when they first got on the bus. I put them in the second seat and I have even learned a few words of Japanese. I am now driving the children of my first 'children' on Mercer Island. I have had the privilege of watching them grow up and hope that I have given them something positive to take away from their childhood.”

Something people may not know: Bunnie has seven grandchildren and is a great-grandmother to two girls ages one and three.
Years worked in the district: 27 years and “I wouldn’t do anything else!”

Outside interests: Bunnie enjoys knitting, crocheting, 'dabbling' in crafts and reading both fiction and non-fiction. She also loves being outside.