Jennifer McPhee
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Jun 29/01) - John Dalton fixes the broom he uses to sweep his bus while he waits for a group of Grade 3 kids to come out of the museum.
Dalton is the owner of Yellowknife Cabs, but he spends most days driving children to and from school trips in his Yellowknife charter bus.
 John Dalton |
How did the broom break?
"I stepped on it," he admits with a laugh.
It's an important tool.
"If you don't keep your bus clean, people won't respect it."
When the kids return to the bus, Dalton welcomes them with questions about their field trip.
"Did you see the big elephant on your way into the museum?" he asks.
"No, it's a polar bear," they respond in unison.
"No, it's an elephant," he says, continuing to tease them.
"It is not -- polar bears don't have fur," says one little girl.
The kids settle into their seats and Dalton, who has lived in Yellowknife for 30 years, starts the drive back to Ecole St. Joseph school.
"Alright boys and girls," he says, "I don't want the windows open any more than they already are. If you can't trust yourself, sit on your hands."
Three girls in the front seat are whispering and staring at him.
"My friend wants to know if you can put the radio on," one of them finally asks.
Dalton obliges.
"I'm not chicken," she tells her friends. "I just proved it."
When he drops the kids off, he cheerfully calls out goodbye as they bounce off the bus.
"Everyone calls you Santa Claus," says one boy as he exits.
Dalton, who has a white beard, responds: "That's right, but just in the winter.
"Each group of students are different," he says after they leave.
Next he has to pick up a class of kindergarten students from the tennis courts.
These kids usually walk the short distance back to their school, but today a bear was spotted in the area, so they are playing it safe by riding the bus. However on the way, he sees his third pick-up walking home.
He stops the bus and the kids, who were at the bowling alley, jump on. It turns out the power went out at the bowling alley and they had to leave early.
"You see, you have to be flexible on this job," he says.
He drops the kids off and makes it back to the tennis courts just in time.
"Some days are busy and others aren't," he says. "The next three days I'm booked solid because it's the last week of school. It can be feast or famine."
Dalton says he enjoys all the kids, but especially likes the younger ones.
Why?
"They're just nice," he says. "They appreciate being able to get out. It's a treat for them."
