On Saturday morning, the parking lot outside the Howard and Lillian Lee Transit Operations Center and Chapel Hill Transit headquarters looked a little different. Instead of being filled with blue, grey and white buses ready to serve Chapel Hill and Carrboro, traffic cones and judges in safety vests dotted the pavement.

The transit system held its annual Roadeo competition among its bus operators to see who could best navigate an obstacle course and showcase their driving skills with a quick time. The friendly, volunteer-only event is a marquee opportunity for Chapel Hill Transit staff to come together for a fun day — and send its best operators to the North Carolina Roadeo competition.

Check out photos from the event below, as taken by Brighton McConnell of the Chapel Hill Media Group.

(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
Demand Response drivers, using Chapel Hill Transit’s LTVs, also competed on Saturday. (Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
Chapel Hill Transit LTV operator Justin Graves navigates the course on Saturday. (Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
One station required drivers to keep their right wheels straight through lines of tennis balls.(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
Scott Gilliam drives during his turn at the Chapel Hill 2026 Roadeo. (Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
The Diminishing Clearance judge removes the cone from in front of the bus at the end of its run. (Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
A Chapel Hill Transit operator backs into a reverse station. (Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
A Chapel Hill Transit driver begins their run during the 2026 roadeo.(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
Judges measure the bus’ distance from the curb in the Passenger Stop part of the roadeo course.(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)
(Photo by Brighton McConnell/Chapel Hill Media Group.)

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