At 95, He Asked His Boss for More Shifts, Not Fewer

Raymond Hager was 95 years old when his boss tried to give him fewer hours behind the wheel of a Wichita Falls, Texas school bus. He said no. He wanted more.

Almost Thirty Years on the Same Routes

Hager has spent close to three decades driving buses for the City of Wichita Falls.

"I worked for the city for 27 years in March of next year," he told a local TV station in November 2025.

Another interview put the number closer to 35 years, saying he started driving buses in his 60s after his wife suggested he try it. Either telling puts him behind the wheel for most of what other people call retirement.

One Shift a Week Wasn't Enough

At some point, his employer tried to scale him back to a single shift a week, just enough to keep him on staff.

Hager didn't take the hint. To this day, the city's minimum requirement to keep him on staff is one shift a week, and he still drives more shifts than that.

"One day a week is just not enough. So, here I am."

He has said driving doesn't wear him out the way sitting at home does.

"I just don't get tired of driving. I just don't know why, but I get more tired at home than I do driving."

The World's Oldest Active Male Bus Driver

In 2025, Guinness World Records named Hager the world's oldest active male bus driver.

When Hager once floated the idea of retiring, his boss shut it down fast.

"Wait a minute. Who said anything about you retiring?"

Raymond Hager Day

Wichita Falls Mayor Tim Short proclaimed November 18, Hager's birthday, Raymond Hager Day.

Hager's grandson told him he was still on cloud nine days later. Hager agreed it felt like a good dream.

Then he went back to work. One shift a week was never going to be enough for him.