Statement from Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Todd Stone on Transit Driver Appreciation Day:

“Transit drivers do more than drive the bus from stop to stop. They give sightseeing advice to tourists, ensure wheelchairs are secured, diffuse tense situations and oversee the safety of their passengers. When university and college students wisely choose not to drive when they’ve been drinking, it’s the transit driver who endures their revelry.

“There are almost 5,000 transit drivers in British Columbia, and each one of them brings something special to the job. This is seen in ways large and small, as some make us laugh by wearing a Santa hat, while another brings a vehicle to an apartment fire so displaced residents have a place to keep warm, and others raise tens of thousands of dollars for good causes. They assist passengers who are lost, disoriented or frail, as well as ensuring regulars see a familiar face at the wheel as they get a smooth journey on their commutes.

“All these attributes are in addition to their skill at driving large vehicles in a variety of traffic situations – and in all kinds of weather. When an unexpected snowfall makes driving conditions treacherous, people turn to the bus knowing it is safer travel with a professional driver behind the wheel.

“Please join me in saying thank you to them for their exemplary work not only on Transit Driver Appreciation Day, but each and every day as they move thousands of British Columbians to and from their destinations.”