If you have a favourite transit driver, have your thank-you card ready for Friday.
The City of Barrie is reminding riders that Transit Operator and Worker Appreciation Day is this Friday (March 18).
Brent Forsyth, the city’s director of transit and parking strategy, said drivers are crucial, noting 140 drivers operate Barrie Transit's fleet of 46 buses and 15 specialized buses. (Barrie Transit operates under a contract with MVT Canadian Bus Inc.)
“Transit operators and workers play a vital role in ensuring passengers arrive safely to their destinations, and our residents rely on Barrie Transit’s regular and specialized services daily to get to work, school or appointments,” said Forsyth. “When getting on or off Barrie Transit on March 18, we encourage you to say a little extra thank you to your transit operator.”
One of Barrie Transit's drivers will celebrate nearly two decades with the city in May.
Chris Willison has been a bus driver for almost 30 years, 18 of which he has spent with Barrie Transit. While he also drove highway coach and Greyhound during his career, Willison is also proud of another driving record.
“It's also been 41 years driving a motorcycle. I'm proud of that ... just putting that out there,” said Willison with a laugh.
Willison moved to Barrie in 1992 and grew up in Toronto. He always wanted to drive a bus.
“My grandfather was a TTC operator and my other grandfather was a truck driver who delivered oil to people’s homes, so the passion of driving was with me at a young age,” said Willison.
"I just love it. I love helping people when they’re not sure where to go or to get where they have to be. It's a good feeling.”
Willison said he always asks where someone is going because “sometimes you can save them an hour by directing them to another route.”
As with most transit companies, Barrie Transit changes their drivers’ routes every few months to keep it fresh and so employees are knowledgeable about all parts of the city.
That suits Willison just fine.
“I love that the scenery changes. It's better than being stuck in an office and even on days where there is construction or bad weather and there are delays, it's still the best job I can think of.”
What about the grumpy riders who get upset when he is a few minutes late?
“That is actually rare,” said Willison. “I would say 90 percent of my riders are understanding when things are delayed. And besides days with delays, the absolute majority of riders are very pleasant and give a greeting getting on and getting off the bus.”
Willison told BarrieToday that even the last two years dealing with the pandemic hasn't dimmed his love for the job.
“Ridership was way down, that was very noticeable. But other than that, we as drivers had the plexiglass barrier that divided us from the public, and it worked well,” said Willison. “More people than not were fine with it and wore their masks without complaining.”
When he drove highway coach buses, Willison said he went all over, even to the U.S.
“They were like little mini-vacations. I went to Montreal, Quebec City, New York and I even went as far as St. Louis,” said Willison. “There were a lot of Grade 8 trips to Ottawa or seniors renting the bus to go to Niagara Falls or people heading to Casino Rama.”
Getting to know the riders is Willison’s favourite part of the job and he wouldn't change what he’s doing now.
“There are some riders that don’t even need to alert me for their stop, I just know. Or I’ll see them walking towards the bus stop and I’ll wait because I know they’re heading that way,” said Willison. “I really enjoy being out, driving all over and meeting people.”
After 18 years as a city driver, BarrieToday asked Willison when he saw hanging up the steering wheel. “When they kick me out,” he said with a laugh.
