Kevin McKay now: Meet the real bus driver who inspired Apple TV+'s The Lost Bus
Thrilling new film The Lost Bus is based on the inspiring story of bus driver Kevin McKay, but what has he been doing since his heroic rescue in 2018?
The inspiration behind Apple TV+’s new real-life survival film The Lost Bus has taken on a brand new career in recent years.
Starring Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera, the thrilling drama directed by Paul Greengrass follows the story of a brave bus driver who saved 22 children from a disastrous California fire.
The full story can be found in the 2021 book Paradise: One Town's Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire by Lizzie Johnson, which actress Jamie Lee Curtis read and inspired her to board the project as a producer.
Following a limited theatrical released in the US, The Lost Bus is now available for audiences worldwide to stream on Apple TV+ from today, Friday, 3rd October.
But what has happened to the real driver Kevin McKay since then, and how accurate is the film compared to the real story?
Kevin McKay’s story
As depicted in Greengrass’ film, Kevin left his home of Paradise, California following a fight with his father, only to return home 25 years later when he received a call from his mother that his dad was dying.
Tragically, Kevin was unable to make it home to reconcile with his father in time and he passed away in the summer of 2018.
This heartbreaking loss motivated him to improve his life, both for the benefit of his elderly mother and also to be a better father for his teenage son.
Determined to do something more with his life, he quit his stable job at Walgreens and returned to university to study for a teaching degree, finding a job as a school bus driver to pay his tuition fees.
However, just hours after his usual drop-off on 8th November 2018, a wildfire started spreading across the county and he received a call from Ponderosa Elementary School to evacuate 22 children who were unable to be picked up by their parents.
With help from school teacher Mary Ludwig and kindergarten teacher Abbie Gerspacher-Davis, they braved 30 miles of the inferno for five hours with just one water bottle and a single fire extinguisher, eventually reuniting each and every child with their families.
What is the real Kevin doing now?
Viewers who have been inspired by Kevin’s story depicted in The Lost Bus will be pleased to know that he returned to California State University-Chico to earn a degree in history as well as his teaching credentials.
Now 47, he reportedly works as an educator at Fair View High School in Chico.
Kevin recently spoke to Action News about the experience of having his story adapted into a film.
“Hearing that it was going to become a Hollywood motion picture was surreal, but it was also an honour,” he shared.
“I felt very included, I got to share my perspective and a lot of that perspective made it into the film."
As for his personal life, Kevin still appears to be with his long-time girlfriend Cari Green, whom he describes as “the love of his life”. They enjoy going on adventures together such as exploring mountains in dune buggies, as shared on his Instagram page.
How accurate is The Lost Bus?
Although the details of Kevin’s rescue stick reasonably close to the actual events, certain moments have been omitted or dramatised to keep audiences entertained.
For example, kindergarten teacher Abbie is not included in the film, which instead focuses on the team effort from Kevin and Mary.
Certain details about the rescue have also been exaggerated to raise the stakes of the survival thriller, including the whereabouts of Kevin’s family.
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Although the film depicts the driver being in the dark about the safety of his mother, son and girlfriend while the fire spread, the real Kevin had actually ensured they were safe and secure in a nearby hotel earlier that morning.
He told CNN: “That freed me up to focus completely on this terrifying situation.”
Despite the film taking some artistic liberties, in his interview with Action News, the real Kevin stressed that both Apple and director Greengrass wanted the film to feel as “real and authentic” as possible, so several key moments have been lifted directly from his account of the harrowing events.
The Lost Bus is available to stream on Apple TV+.