ABOUT

HISTORY

Joseph C. Graybill, Inc. is a local family owned and operated school bus contractor in its third generation. The company founders, Joseph C. Graybill and son-in-law, Elvin G. Metzler, originally managed the family farm and drove school bus part-time for local bus contractor, Elmer Rock. They then started their own company in 1963 beginning with a fleet of 6 Bluebird GMC school buses contracted with the Manheim Central School District. The company was incorporated in 1977 and was managed and run by the founders along with Joseph’s wife, Mina Graybill and Elvin’s wife, Jean Metzler. Joseph and Mina’s other daughter, Jane Eshelman and her husband, John Eshelman, also worked regularly as bus drivers in the early days. The company contracted several bus routes with the Lancaster County Vo-Tech Schools (LCCTC) in the 1970’s. As the school district grew, so did the company. Elvin and Jean’s youngest son, Jeryl, joined the company full-time in 1999 and his wife, Dorinda, joined the company in 2008. The company made a major change in 2011 by covering transportation for the entire school district, when the district’s other contractor, Rufus K. Geib, Inc. ended operations after serving Manheim from the earliest days of district transportation.

After several years of operating from multiple site locations in Manheim and Mastersonville, JC Graybill consolidated its operations at its original site located at 240 E. Sun Hill Rd. Manheim in 2015. A building project managed by Speedwell Construction (Manheim) has allowed all company vehicles to be located at one facility and under roof.

Jean Metzler retired in 2017 after more than fifty years of bus driving and Elvin Metzler retired in 2019 after 59 years driving. Elvin, Jean and Jeryl are all graduates of the Manheim Central School District.