Don Filteau has been driving school bus for about 12 years. (Nigel Maxwell/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

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As dozens of children climb onto his bus, Don Filteau greets them with a pleasant hello. One or two children even get questioned as to why they are not wearing a jacket.

Monday was School Bus Driver Appreciation Day in Saskatchewan, and paNOW’s Nigel Maxwell was invited to join Filteau on his route to Arthur Peachey and then various stops around the West Hill area.

Prior to becoming a school bus driver roughly 12 years ago, Filteau worked for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and after retirement, had some friends suggest he try driving a bus.

While initially assigned to John Diefenbaker and Vincent Massey, he was moved to his current route about a year ago. When asked what he enjoys most about his job, a huge smile lights up his face as he talks about the kids he spends time with every day.

“It’s surprising in that 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the afternoon, you build a connection with some kids,” he said. “I have known [some] kids for over 10 years, and they have graduated now, they’re having kids on their own.”

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The Sask Rivers Public School Division has 102 bus routes/drivers. When asked what he thinks is a common misunderstanding about his job, Filteau replied that a lot of parents don’t realize that bus drivers must keep a tight schedule and cannot wait for kids to get ready for the bus.

“It’s not so bad right now, but when it gets to 40 below and waiting two or three minutes, that next kid is another two or three minutes, and it just goes up. And so near the end of the run, those kids can be standing 10 to 15 minutes outside in the cold,” he explained.

Filteau’s entire route takes about 25 minutes. The children on the bus are all well-behaved and clearly respect their driver. Only two reminders are required to sit down.

Filteau, who noted it can take up to a month to build relationships with the kids, added the biggest challenge of the job is not the small people on the bus, but rather the much older people who are passing by while he’s working and trying to get the kids home safe.

“Like you’ll have people do U-turns in front of your bus, they’ll cut you off, thinking you can stop on a dime. Some areas, I will stop to let a kid off, and they literally drive down the right-hand side of the bus.”

“So as a kid stepping off, if you don’t see that car coming, you know it’s potentially an accident happening. I’ve had that happen two or three times now.”

Another big concern for Don is when kids arrive home and are anxious to see their families go running off in front of the school bus. That’s why he encourages drivers approaching a parked school bus to slow down.

“And in Prince Albert, we’re not allowed to use our overheads or the stop sign when we’re unloading, because of a bylaw. So when you’re dropping kids off, you really have to be aware of what’s going on around you.”

A gift for Don. (Nigel Maxwell/paNOW Staff)

Prior to leaving the assigned parking space behind Arthur Peachey school, a member of the school staff comes on board the bus and presents Don with a token of appreciation. When asked if he gets presents from the children, Don smiles and recalls a Yeti cup he received from a young girl.

“I drink coffee in the mornings usually, and so she says, I see you got to keep your coffee warm. They got me a Yeti cup, and I still use it today.”

After the final drop-offs, Don drives around the block and proceeds to stop the bus. He explains that he must inspect the bus to make sure there are no more children on board. It’s not uncommon for a young child, after a busy day at school, to fall asleep on the bus and miss their stop.

In addition to the friendships he has built with the kids, Don also expressed his gratitude for the friendships he has made with other bus drivers.

Adelaide, a Grade 4 student at Arthur Peachey, is among the final kids to exit the bus and was asked what she enjoys most about her bus driver.

“He’s nice,” she says with a big smile.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @nigelmaxwell