SPRINGVILLE, N.Y. (WKBW) — A Springville school bus driver went above and beyond to make a 10-year-old boy’s dreams of “riding the big bus” come true.
Aiden Morrison is driven to and from school every day by “Mr. Ben.” However, Aiden rides a bus that is smaller than a typical school bus because he has autism.
Ben Cyr, Aiden’s driver, said he noticed Aiden and other kids with special needs voicing their frustrations about their bus size.
“[The kids on my bus] say, ‘How come we can’t have a big bus? How come we only take a big bus when we go on field trips,” Cyr said.
Cyr decided to take matters into his own hands and asked his boss if he could make Aiden’s dream a reality.
Soon after, Aiden was surprised by a big school bus pulling into his driveway to take him to school.
Kimberly Morrison, his mother, was there to take it all in.
“Before I could even figure it out, the doors opened up, and Mr. Ben was inside,” Morrison said. “When Aiden saw Mr. Ben, he paused for a moment, and then he said, ‘Mom! A big bus! A big bus!’ ”
Morrison said Aiden immediately ran to the bus.
“I arrived that morning, and it was a real special moment, and Aiden was excited about it,” Cyr said. “They haven’t stopped talking about it since.”
After checking out his big bus, Morrison said Aiden turned around to give Cyr his thanks.
“He [Aiden] doesn’t hug spontaneously,” she said. “He just wrapped his arms around Mr. Ben and gave him the biggest hug, and I just stood here like I’m going to do now … crying, tearing running down my face because he was so excited to be on that big bus.”
Although Aiden went back to riding the smaller bus, his mother said this act of kindness by Cyr goes a long way.
“It was a dream for Aiden because he wants to be like the other kids,” she said. “But it’s really hard for him to have all those same opportunities as the other children.”
Cyr was humble when describing his actions in fulfilling this dream.
“I’m just a link in the chain,” he said. “It’s everybody working together to make these kids’ lives as normal as can be. I’m very proud of that, and I think it’s very rewarding being a bus driver for special needs kids.”
