It’s easy to understand why kids have grown so attached to the familiar, friendly man behind the big wheel of the broad school bus.

When Butch Maples swings open the door, he enthusiastically greets the children with a warm smile, even delivers the occasional song and dance.

His passion is real, his charisma infectious. His young passengers are in good, dependable hands.

“You gotta love these kids, and I do,” said Maples, who has transported students in the Auburn School District safely for 25 years, the past 19 busing kids with special needs. “That relationship with kids … well, it’s a feeling you will never forget.”

It’s a challenging and rewarding job, and few have done it as well and for as long as the 65-year-old Auburn man. He plans to retire from full-time duty this fall.

Maples recently was awarded the Sure-Lok Above and Beyond Award for “extraordinary dedication and devotion to transporting students with special needs.” Maples is believed to be the first bus driver from the Auburn district to earn the prestigious honor, given annually to one driver in the state.

“We have many good drivers here,” said April Hurlbert, the district’s transportation supervisor/driver trainer, who nominated Maples for the award. “Butch has such a great personality, great rapport with his kids. He takes pride in his job.

“Each of his passengers has disabilities and limitations, but Butch instills confidence and independence in the way he works with each kid,” Hurlbert said. “He’s always very patient with his kids.”

In a long career of driving mostly short routes, Maples carefully has carried hundreds of students to and from homes, neighborhoods, classrooms, concerts, stadiums, gymnasiums and ballparks.

Along the way, he survived the occasional bumpy rides.

The temperamental kid cargo – those with disorders and disabilities – has bitten, scratched and hit him. Once, a blowdart from a passing vehicle struck him in the arm.

And there are other hazards.

A semi-truck clipped his bus a few years ago. No one was hurt.

For the most part, the Maples Express has avoided fender-benders and confrontations, staying consistently on time. Through it all, Maples has kept his poise, earning the respect of his passengers.

If kids mess up the bus, he makes sure they clean it up. If kids argue, Maples knows how to cool a heated exchange, preferring to listen and reach a reasonable solution.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a tough job, it’s what you make of it. It’s all in how you present yourself,” Maples explained.

“You don’t push kids. You don’t argue. You work with them. You try to get them on your side and have some fun. That’s the name of the game.”

And Maples has had fun on the job. A prankster, Maples has been known to decorate and TP colleagues’ buses, even Saran®-wrapping the doors shut and hiding the units in the spacious district yard.

His fellow drivers have returned the favor. One day, they changed his bus’ number, filled it with confetti, balloons and spare tires and raised it on the high hoist inside the garage.

“I couldn’t find it,” Maples admitted.

“We’ve had lot of fun. It’s just my nature,” he added. “Everyone takes it all in stride.”

When it comes to transportation, Maples knows the business. He’s been around it most of his life.

He drove tanks, trucks, Jeeps and other vehicles in the Army National Guard.

He began to drive school buses in 1982 with the encouragement of former district superintendent Linda Cowan, then the principal at his daughter’s school, Gildo Rey Elementary.

“She asked me one day, ‘How would you like to drive a bus?,'” said Maples, who was volunteering at Gildo Rey at the time. “A bus? I can drive almost anything.”

He began manning big buses, then accepted the challenge of working with special-needs kids on smaller ones. Such a job required considerable patience and skill. Accommodations must be made for wheelchair-bound kids, special attention paid to children with feeding tubes. Some passengers require seat harnesses.

The conscientious Maples proved to be a good fit.

“I’ve enjoyed it,” he said of his job. “I enjoyed the many special relationships I’ve had with the kids and their families.”

Maples’ long run will come to an end later this month. He plans to retire on Sept. 30, a day before his 45th wedding anniversary. He and his wife, Kathy, raised three daughters here. Auburn has been, and will always be, home.

Maples plans to stay busy. He has a long list of things to do, and will consider staying on as a substitute driver.

This Auburn School District institution isn’t about to go away quietly.

“Loved the job. Loved the kids,” Maples said. “The district has been good, and it has been good to me.”