PTBOCanada Featured Post: Peterborough Transit Celebrates Transit Operators And Worker Appreciation Day

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Friday marks International Transit Operator and Worker Appreciation Day and the City of Peterborough is taking the opportunity to show gratitude for all the workers that make the transit system move every day.

Peterborough Transit manager Laurie Stratton says that while this day has been recognized for several years now, transit operators and workers deserve appreciation now more than ever.

“Transit operators and workers have been working tirelessly in service of the public throughout the pandemic,” she said. “I think its particularly important that transit operator and worker day be widely recognized this year. It’s as easy as see seeing your bus driver and saying thank you. It is also important to appreciate the challenges both drivers and those behind the scenes serving the community face.”

In addition to drivers, Fridays appreciation recognizes all the work that goes into keeping busses moving like mechanics, bus cleaners, route planners, those that keep busses and stops clean and accessible, and those that train new drivers, like Barry Wakeford.

Wakeford, Safety and Training Supervisor at Peterborough Transit, trains all new drivers to make sure they are prepared to serve the community.

“Our drivers do this every day, day in day out,” he said. “If someone is having a bad day, the drivers hear it. They take the brunt of peoples frustrations, but still they show up every day and we need to celebrate them.”

Wakeford started as a driver with Peterborough Transit 20 years ago and worked his way up.

“It’s people like Barry who speak to what transit means, it’s not just a job it’s a career and a commitment,” said Stratton.

Wakeford notes that not only do drivers learn how to safely drive through the city in a large vehicle, they learn to create tiny communities on their routes, and offer a safe ride for anyone young or old.

He recalls when he was a driver the ‘community’ that formed on his daily routes.

“Each trip of the day was their own group of society and they all got to see each other every day on that bus,” he said. “They looked forward to seeing each other, they knew each others stories but they didn’t know each other outside of the bus.”

Peterborough Green-Up runs a program called ‘On The Bus’ which invites classrooms to take a city bus to their field trip. Wakeford notes that often during these trips transit operators tell students if they are ever in need of help to flag down a city bus.

“A bus driver will always be there to help.”

“Public transit connects the community to school, to medical appointments, to each other and to critical services, as well as social activities,” said Stratton. “It’s a backbone of the economy and without it those things would not be possible for some people. Its fair to say its the shining star of the future as we look towards making an impact on green house gas emissions. Getting people out of cars and getting them travelling using public transit”

Wakeford reflects on the vast array of people that use public transportation.

“It’s not just students and people that can’t or don’t drive. It’s all walks of life,” he said. “Public transit is for everyone.”

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