GWEN BELLEFEUILLE
Campeau Bus Lines, Star Top Road, Feb. 22, 2017.
“I took the school bus as a kid. I lived out on Manotick Station Road and went to Osgoode Public — all one-room schools out in the Osgoode area. And my mom was a school bus driver for 24 years, although she was never my driver.
“When I was a kid, I had a driver who let us turn the alternator lights on, the ones that tell traffic to stop. He’d let us sit up on the heater and do that. That was a long time ago; I’d say 50 years ago. We’re not allowed to do that. We can’t even let them open the doors. But back in the day, yes. I would have been in Grade 3 or 4. That was a real thrill for me. Not everyone got to do it; just favourites.
“That kind of made me want to be a bus driver, but what really got me turned on to driving a bus was a friend of mine who used to drive coach and he let me drive the coach one time. That just turned my interest to driving a school bus. I liked the feel of it, the bigness, the handling of it.
“So when I started driving, I started driving a van and then I worked my way up to big buses. These are 72 passengers. I drive handicapped buses for the disabled people. I drive big buses, the 72. And I do charter work. I do 67’s games. I do Senators games. I do Ottawa U.
“But the important thing is to get the kids to and from school safely. I’ve been doing it for 37 years and I love it. I’ll probably do this until I can’t drive anymore. I love being with the kids. I enjoy their company. They come on and say, ‘Oh, I did this today. Did you?’ A lot of the boys play hockey, so, ‘Are you playing hockey tonight?’ And then they’d come on the next day and I’ll ask, ‘How did you play?’
“I love the interaction with the kids. To see what they’re into in this day and age, what they’re learning in school, what they’re learning when they play hockey.
“When you ask a kid how his day was, you’ll see him light up. ‘Oh, she’s asking me how my day is. She’s asking me what I did. She’s interested in me. She’s interested in what I’m doing.’ You can make a difference in someone’s day.” bdeachman@postmedia.com