Whistler transit fan recognizes long time driver with thoughtful gift
Transit System: Whistler
22 November 2021
Image courtesy Trevor Bodnar
Garry Martin has been driving buses for 35 years and is the longest tenured driver in Whistler. In fact, on December 10th he will be celebrating 29 years behind the wheel with Whistler Transit Ltd. Garry has a lot of fun with his job and passengers, and has one personally established rule for getting on his bus.
“From the very beginning in Whistler, my rule has been no smile, no ride,” said Garry Martin. “Lots of regulars know about me now, and I’m sure they think oh no, here comes the smiley bus driver.”
Garry has left a lasting impression on his customers over the years, but maybe none more so than Trevor Bodnar. This 18-year old transit fan has an Instagram account dedicated to snapping stellar photographs of buses. His love of transit comes in part from the fact that his uncle and grandfather are both bus drivers in Vancouver, and he’s been riding the bus from an early age.
In late August, Trevor managed to get a great shot of Garry Martin’s route 30 bus, rounding the corner on the Sea to Sky Highway coming back from Emerald at the Green Lake lookout:
The image captures the beauty of the area, but the write-up about Garry is even lovelier. Trevor writes:
I’ve been wanting to save this photo, but I just couldn’t wait. Behind the Wheel is the longest serving bus operator for Whistler Transit. When I say he’s amazing, I mean it. I’ve been to a lot of communities, and by far, he’s the nicest @bc_transit operator I’ve had the pleasure to meet. Every time I board his bus, we end up having a great conversation about life, transit, and of course, bus driving. With 30 ish years under his belt, he greets every passenger with a smile, and always gives the camera a wave. To quote him “No Smile, No Ride”
It’s clear that Garry’s kindness and good nature mean a lot to Trevor, who first read about Garry in this profile for Transit Driver Appreciation Day by the Pique newspaper. After reading the story, Trevor made a point of meeting Garry this past March. Garry is not on Instagram so he wasn’t able to see the post, but when it was shared with him, he was really touched.
“I love Trevor! He’s the most bestest rider! I really appreciated his kind words, and I will cherish the picture for a long time. It’s a beautiful picture.”
Trevor is extremely proud of this picture, and really wanted to share it with his favourite driver. So he got it blown up to 5×7 and framed, and recently presented the photo along with a thank you card to Garry Martin.
“I had it in my heart that I wanted to give Garry something,” said Trevor Bodnar. “When I got that picture, I just knew it was going to be for him. He seemed to really appreciate what I had done for him.”
Garry is winding down a driving career that has given so much to the community and to Whistler Transit. He not only has a near perfect driving record, but has also mentored and trained many new drivers for the organization over the years. Whistler Transit and the community in general are lucky to have Garry Martin, and Trevor Bodnar will be the first to tell you that.
