Much-Loved School Bus Driver Gets Gift From Arlington Parents

ARLINGTON, VA — Parents who live in Arlington’s Maywood neighborhood expressed appreciation for their children's school bus driver on Wednesday by giving him an end-of-year gift and thank you card.

The driver, Touil Abdelilah, picks up children in the neighborhood at the Maywood Mini Park and drives them to Taylor Elementary School, just off Military Road.

“Simply put, the kids love him,” one parent said in an email to Patch. “He is always on time, if not a couple minutes early. You can tell he takes great pride in his job, making sure all the kiddos are on the bus and get off safely into the hands of their trusted adult — all with a smile that radiates through his mask.”

“He deserves no less than our humblest of thank you's," the parent said.

Friday marks the last day of school for elementary school students across Arlington County.

According to the 2023 fiscal year budget for Arlington Public Schools, the county will have 290.5 school bus drivers and attendants heading into the 2022-23 school year, almost 50 more than the number of school bus drivers in the county three years earlier.

Starting July 1, school bus drivers in Arlington will get pay increases, putting their compensation on par with or higher than bus drivers in neighboring jurisdictions. Last fall, Arlington's school bus drivers rallied for better pay and equal treatment to other Arlington Public School employees.

Parents of elementary school students in Maywood hope Abdelilah returns for the 2022-23 school year to drive the same bus route to Taylor Elementary. He “sees and delivers our kids safely every day,” the Maywood parent said.

Collecting funds from community members for Abdelilah was important because “recognizing individuals for their invaluable contributions is immeasurable," the parent explained.

"In this day and age, with such a challenging economic backup, donations never hurt,” she added.