If you’ve been following my blog posts, you know that February is Black History Month, and on Fridays, I’m featuring everyday people who are making history in the things they do each and every day, as they go through their lives.

Today I’m going to feature a lady named Betty, who drives a bus that takes passengers to and from Midway Airport in Chicago to various destinations near the airport grounds.

As you may recall, I attended the IANDS conference in Chicago, back in August. After leaving the conference, I returned my rental car to Budget Rent-a-car, on the grounds of the Chicago Midway Airport.

Then I took a Trans Dev bus from the car rental building to the Departures section of the airport. My bus driver, represented in the image above by my DC Superhero Bumblebee doll, was a very kind lady named Betty.

In spite of the youthful appearance of my Bumblebee doll, I believe Betty was around my own age, since like me, she was a retired person who was simply working (for whatever reason) as a public transit bus driver. And yet, when I came aboard her bus, she immediately approached me and asked, “May I help you with your luggage?”

Then she proceeded to lift my heavy luggage onto a shelf within the bus, so it wouldn’t roll. The bus immediately filled with people, and Betty was equally polite to everyone, making sure all luggage was properly stowed before she got in her seat and took us for a short drive.

That’s when the fun began! Betty’s voice came over the bus’s intercom:

“I hope you don’t mind, everyone, but I’m in a mood to sing today. And if you feel the groove, go ahead and sing along. Are you ready?”

A few people said, “Yeah,” and “Uh huh.”

Then Betty’s lovely voice trickled through the on-board radio:

And the people, standing and sitting on this little shuttle bus all around me, couldn’t help but chime right in, singing along with Betty:

“The wheels on the bus go
Round and round,
Round and round,
Round and round…
All the way to arrivals!”

I knew, as did everyone aboard that bus, that we were about to go through long lines at the airport. Our stuff would get searched. We’d be registering our tickets, going through metal detectors, and checking in our luggage. Ugh…

But in that brief moment, aboard Betty’s bus, we were all singing along like a group of silly school children with big cheesy grins on our faces!

“The wipers on the bus go
Swish-swish-swish,
Swish-swish-swish,
Swish-swish-swish
The wipers on the bus go
Swish-swish-swish
All the way to arrivals!”

And that’s what makes Betty the Bus Driver an everyday hero! GO BETTY!

If you want to reach out to Betty’s bus company, to tell them about today’s blog post, you can reach them at:

us.mdwrac@transdev.com

Telephone number: 708-924-4017 (Extension 2)

And Betty drove Bus 1205, when I rode with her on September 1, 2025.

For those of you who want the doll clothes patterns for making Betty’s Trans Dev uniform, I have those patterns. I’m working hard to create the tutorial video before I release them though.

In the mean time, please consider traveling to Chicago’s Midway Airport, so you can ride on Betty’s bus!

Here are 3 ways you can help support my website and YouTube channel:

1. Visit my eBay store to see if there’s anything you need there, and if so, make a bid
2. Purchase one of the fabrics I’ve designed — here’s a link to my Spoonflower store
3. Pray for this website to grow and prosper!

To read more about my free sewing patterns and tutorials, please visit the “Helpful Tips” page.

Disclaimer/Credit/Affiliate Marketing Link:

*Please note: when you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include Amazon, Etsy, and the eBay Partner Network. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. To learn more about how my website uses affiliate marketing, please visit the website’s Privacy Policy page.

Chelly Wood and the ChellyWood.com website are not affiliated with any of the doll or toy companies mentioned in this blog post, but Chelly enjoys designing her doll clothes to fit a variety of dolls. To learn more about the doll companies mentioned in today’s post, please visit the doll or toy company’s website.