Thank Your Driver Day sharing thanks with Calgary Transit
Today, (Thursday, March 18), join us in celebrating Thank Your Driver Day to recognize our hard-working bus and CTrain operators. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to postpone the recognition for 2020 and it also means we are taking a safe approach to this year’s celebration. While ridership has gone down over the last year, we still have drivers working hard every day to help Calgarians reach their destinations. COVID-19 has meant that the job they do every day in our communities has been especially challenging over the last year.
The importance of our front-line staff is apparent now more than ever, with their commitment through this pandemic and helping to keep our customers calm and reassured, while continuing to deliver critical service that our communities rely on.
Saying a socially distanced thanks is easy – a friendly word, smile or a wave is all it takes. Send us a tweet @CalgaryTransit and use the hashtag #thanksCT.
They have a tough job and we want to thank them. March 18 is a great opportunity to show our drivers their hard work is noticed and appreciated. Our drivers regularly go above and beyond the call of duty to make life better for Calgarians. Transit operators do so much more than drive; they ensure passenger safety, keep to a schedule, check fares, give directions, remember stop requests, all while manoeuvring large vehicles through unpredictable traffic, adverse weather and tight spaces. Many do all this and more with a smile on their face, though with current face covering regulations, you may not be seeing their smile like you used to.
Calgary Transit Access (CTA) operators also provide an important lifeline for their customers, connecting Calgarians with disabilities to the places and people that matter most to them. Without CTA, many Calgarians would be isolated and unable to make appointments, get their groceries or go to work.
“Each year, Thank Your Driver Day is a great way to recognize the role of Calgary Transit and Calgary Transit Access operators,” says Calgary Transit Acting Director Russell Davies. “This year, because of COVID-19 more than ever, it’s so meaningful to have customers share the ways their driver has helped them to keep moving. Our operators have worked so hard over the last year to make life better for Calgarians. Thank you to all of our operators for your commitment to our customers, your commitment to safety and the hard work you do each day.”
Did you know? Thank Your Driver Day is March 18, because on that day in 1662, bus service debuted in Paris with horse-drawn carriages. The Five-Penny coaches were called the carosses à Cinq Sous.
Calgary Transit employs more than 2,000 bus, CTrain and shuttle drivers. On March 18, be sure to thank at least one of them (from a safe distance!) to show appreciation for the work they do 365 days a year.