Kobussen Buses was started 85 years ago in 1938. Elwood Kobussen, a.k.a. “Grandpa Goldie” — a dairy farmer and trucker by trade, was chosen by the Kaukauna Board of Education to transport out-of-town students to and from Kaukauna High School. They started with red, white and blue school buses. No buses were available for purchase between 1940 and 1945 due to WWII. From 1945 to 1951, one bus was added every year. After that, two buses were purchased each year. James Kobussen, Elwood Kobussen’s eldest son, joined the company and they eventually formed a father-son partnership in 1957.
Moving forward to 1958, former Kaukauna Mayor Doty Bayorgeon requested that an inter-city route be established between Kaukauna and Appleton. The Kobussens were contracted to operate and manage the inter-city transit system all the way until 1974, when it became Valley Transit.
In 1962, the Kobussens became Kaukauna Bus Service Incorporated. Elwood Kobussen was president and James Kobussen was vice president. Marion Kobussen, James’ wife, became secretary.
During the 1960s, the Kobussens took the progressive idea at the time of hiring women drivers. This was a sensitive topic for Northeast Wisconsin, but the Kobussens were proud of the drivers and had trust in them regardless of the era. Eventually, Michael Kobussen, Elwood’s youngest son, joined the firm to manage the Neenah operations. Since then, Michael’s wife Ann, as well as Ann Kobussen’s daughter Melissa and son Scott have all joined the business.
Michael Kobussen passed away in 2004. His family has stayed with the company.
In the early 1970s, the company started a driver training program even though it was not required by the State of Wisconsin. To complete the program, drivers were required to attend training and take road and written tests. During this time, James Kobussen became a certified driver training instructor and taught classes at Fox Valley Technical College. This practice continues today with all Kobussen drivers receiving skid pad training at Fox Valley Technical College, as well as practice and additional training with our skilled trainers at Kobussen terminals.
Kaukauna Bus Service officially became Kobussen Buses, Ltd. in 1976. And not long after that, in 1980, Outagamie County and Kobussen Buses started a contract to transport adults with special needs. This contract was expanded to 11 vehicles.
Kobussen expanded into motor coaches in 1983, which is also when Joe Kobussen, James Kobussen’s middle son, joined the business as a mechanic. With the addition of motor coaches, Kobussen was able to begin offering chartered group trips through the U.S. and Canada.
In 1994, James Kobussen’s youngest son, Dan Kobussen, joined the company. James and Marion Kobussen retired in 1998 and his presidency went to Joe. Joe and Dan have taken over all management of Kobussen Buses, and today they own and operate it with their aunt Ann and cousins Scott and Melissa.
In 1995, Kobussen was nominated by the Wisconsin Council of Safety and Department of Industry, Labor and Human Relations (DILHR) for the Wisconsin Corporate Safety Award based on compensation claim scores. Kobussen is the only bus company in Northeast Wisconsin nominated for this honor. Kobussen Buses has always prided itself on safety and forward thinking.
Within the past few years, the fourth generation has joined the company. This includes all three of Joe Kobussen’s daughters — Amanda, Amy and Sam — as well as Michael Kobussen’s grandson, Hunter.
2023 marks the 85th anniversary of Grandpa Goldie starting the company. We think that he would be incredibly proud of how far we have come. Today we operate for 35 school districts, have23 terminals and operate 994 vehicles.
2000 Taylor Street • Little Chute, WI 54140 • 920-766-0606 • kobussen.com
