BUS DRIVER Pat O’Donohue had his own
special way of saying goodbye to all his regular
passengers Wednesday on his last day of driving
the number 27 Mountain Highway route in North

Vancouver.

He transformed his bus
into the Santa Express,
decorating it with a placard
of Santa on the front, a small
model Christmas tree on the
dash, sprays of evergreen on
the fare box and gold and
silver tinsel wound round the
overhead handrails all the
way to the back of the bus.

And to each and every
passenger who got on his
bus, he handed candy canes
as he wished them Merry
Christmas.

By the time he finished the
day, he reckoned he had
handed out about 500 candy
canes. And he enjoyed the
whole thing every bit as
much as the passengers did.

The idea for the Christmas
greeting was his own. “It's
not from the company, it's
from me,” he told the News.

“I did it for my regular
passengers, as I won't see
them any more,” said Pat as
he prepared to switch to his
new City route. “And there
were a lot of happy faces
today.”

SECRET

Actually, Pat, who has
been a driver for three years

peariring set

$560.

a gorgeous gift
18 K yellow gold

with one dlamona@

DESIGNS LTD.

2460 Marine Orive, West Van

By CHRIS LLOYD

now, did the same thing last
year — only he kept the
whole thing quiet.

He wasn't sure how the
company would feel about
his bus decorations so he put
them up each time he left the
garage and took them down
each time he returned.

This year he decided that
maybe his Christmas cheer
would brighten up
everyone's season. He came
in to work early and drove
out of the bus station with
the bus fully decked out as
the Santa Express and left
the decorations on when he
returned at the end of the
route.

As it turned out, his
supervisors liked the idea so
much that they even decided
to let him drive the same bus
after changing routes.

So now the Santa Express
will keep running — all the
way through to Christmas.
And bus passengers all over
the North Shore will get a
glimpse of it, as Pat's route
change which becomes
effective this weekend will

KAISER

sinc a 1872

ALL ABOARD THE
SANTA EXPRESS

involve him driving several
different runs from now on.

With all the passengers
he'll be meeting, Pat decided
he'd better get in some more
Christmas gifts for them.

After he got the news
Wednesday that he was to
continue being the bus
company’s emissary for
Christmas, he went up to the
Zellers store in Westiynn
Mali and stocked up with
another 700 candy canes —
half of which were given to
him, compliments of the
store.

Then the bus company
started wondering about
having some input. “They're
even thinking of supplying
me with a little red hat,
now,” he told the News later.

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-CHRISTMAS greetings
awalt passengers who
board the bus driven by
North Van driver Pat
O’Donochue, who has
decorated his bus for
the season and hands
out candy canes to
everyone who gets on.
His supervisors like the
idea and have decided
Pat can keep the same
bus through to
Christmas when he
changes routes this
weekend. (Ellsworth
Dickson photo)

100 copies

copying servi-
Pat reckons North Van eying

ces.

bus passengers are worth the

effort he’s going to. “The Concord Copy
people over here are really 101-1515 Pemberton
nice,” he says. “It’s totally 985-5115

different from Vancouver.
“And this is a little gift in ccamncnieinenneneeeamennansninn
return.” eit Poe a ae

ma | Daum

RICE

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"_A3': Sunday News, December 20, 1981

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