Vernon driver gives kids memorable first transit experience

When three moms with a gaggle of kids hopped on a bus travelling from Armstrong to Vernon, they had no idea how lucky they were to get a bus driven by Brad Weatherill. He made the kids first transit trip so memorable that one of the moms raved about him on Facebook and shared their happy experience with the online community.

It was the last Saturday in October when Aislinn Harmston and two friends decided to get the kids out and see their surroundings from a different perspective. But they didn’t just get a standard trip, because Brad decided to take it to the next level. Here’s what Aislinn said on the Vernon Rant and Rave Facebook page about their time on the bus:

A massive RAVE to bus driver Brad!! We took a group of kids on the public transit bus from Armstrong to Vernon this weekend so they could learn all the ins and outs of riding the public bus. Brad was amazing with the kids. He was very informative, super friendly and engaging with the kids.

He even gave all the kids an official bus ticket (as they usually don’t get one because they ride for free). He explained the different locations and time schedule as we passed each stop and had the kids pay attention to the time. He initiated a game of ‘iSpy’ and participated with the kids!!

Each kid had a turn ringing the stop pulley too!! We had just as much fun on the ride back to Armstrong at the end of the day.

Thank you, Brad for being part of the kids first time on the public bus!! Brad got to his stop early, and while he would normally get out of his seat and go for a short walk during his recovery time, he saw the group at the stop and realized it wasn’t the warmest day, and decided to change his plans and let them onboard early.

“They were so excited when they got on and started asking some questions about taking the bus, so I played along,” said Transdev Canada’s Brad Weatherill. “When they asked me how people tell me they want to get off, I told them about the stop button and the yellow cord. When I asked them who wanted to give the cord a pull, every hand went up.”

Brad Weatherill has been driving in the Vernon Transit System for more than six years, but he’s also been a dad for much longer than that. All parents know that point in a road trip when the kids start to get a bit squirrelly, and this trip from Armstrong to Vernon was about 40 minutes. Brad could have just let the moms entertain the kids, but that’s not the kind of guy he is. He went with a tried-and-true method of distraction that has worked for parents probably since the dawn of the automobile.

“We played the ‘I Spy’ game and that took us all the way into town. I also ripped off seven transfer tickets for the kids, which they treated as official bus tickets, and that was great. When they got on the bus for the return trip, they all had their tickets. Those kids were awesome, and I wanted to give them a nice view of transit, because these are the ones that will ride the bus in the future. I wanted them to see that bus isn’t a scary place to go, it’s actually welcoming, we like being there, and we can have some fun on the bus.”

The picture at the top of the story was taken by Brad, who added official photographer to his job description for the day. And he was as happy to see them for the return trip as they were!

“I was glad they had some games lined up for the trip home, otherwise I was going to have to start singing and they might have needed earplugs.”

Aislinn Harmston said that the experience was so positive, she’s already planning another trip with a different group of friends.

Buckle up, Brad. You might need to tune up that singing voice after all!