END OF THE LINE
After 48 years, driver makes last stop
When Don French first started working in public transit, he drove a circa-1940s trolley bus in downtown Vancouver, and the fare for an adult was 20 cents.
On Thursday, after 48 years behind the wheel, French worked his final shift, tipping his cap and offering a bow to his customers before walking off the bus in Richmond.
“Free at last, free at last!” he joked.
French, who is 73 and was at the top of the driver seniority list for the Coast Mountain Bus Company, has kept his sense of humour after almost half a century of battling Lower Mainland traffic and dealing with customers. In fact, it’s pretty much the first thing people mention when you ask about French.
“He’s a bit of a riot, a fun guy,” said Bill, a regular bus rider who didn’t wish to give his last name. “If he’s driven that long, he has to have a good sense of humour.”
French confirmed he specializes in “bad jokes,” which he often shared with riders.
“There’s the two kinds of bus drivers: grumpy and zany. Guess which one I am?” he said. “Annoyance is constant and the things that are going to itch are going to be there tomorrow, too. So, if you’re going to be unhappy, you’re going to be permanently unhappy, so it’s a choice.”
When asked his favourite route to drive, he joked that he likes highway driving because, “you can feel the wind in your hair, if you still have hair, which I do.” He took his hat off to prove it.
Then he reconsidered. A route he drove for just over three years that took him past Spanish Banks, he said, was his absolute favourite.
“You can’t beat the scenery,” he said.
Don Rice, director of operations for Coast Mountain, said he’s sad to lose a good, well-liked operator such as French. The company loses about 120 drivers per year to retirement.
Rice said it’s obvious that French enjoyed his time at the wheel.
“It really does take a special person to be able to do a good job for 48 years,” he said. “It’s part of what you have to do is not take things personally and not take things seriously — and drive safely.”
French has some hair-raising stories involving pedestrians and other drivers who only avoided injury because of his experience and quick reaction time.
“I’ve done things that are impossible,” he said.
Other tales involve inclement weather, like the time his bus disconnected from the trolley lines and ended up sliding down Main Street sideways in the snow. Not to worry — he managed to make his turn and land safely at the next stop.
Despite spending more than half of his life on the job, French still refers to bus driving as a hobby — his real passion is music.
He plays a multitude of instruments, built a studio in his home and is in a band with his son and stepson. The band is called Dr. Strangevibe, a nod to his favourite instrument to play, the vibraphone.
“I’m happy — I’m going to start being an unemployed musician again,” he said, his face lighting up.
French’s wife Debbie admires his ambition.
“Now he’s ready to give it a go, I can’t believe it,” she said. “When you’re that age and ready to start again … I couldn’t do it.”