When 47-year-old school bus driver Tom Colins heard his job was in danger as a result of proposed budget cuts by the Richmond School District, he started drafting a letter to the board of education.
Despite several re-writes, by the time he got up to the podium at a meeting, to discuss the proposed cuts, nothing he wrote mattered — he spoke from his heart and began sobbing at the prospect of missing his students. He never once voiced concern about his own personal situation.
It’s not a typical scene at a public meeting, nor is it expected from a gentleman the Richmond News described as “burly.”
“My kid had a lot of fun with that. He comes up to me and says ‘hey, it’s Mr. Burly,’” chuckled Colins, speaking to the News on his coffee break at Blundell elementary school Wednesday afternoon, before picking up some of the 15 students he regularly shuttles around on a weekly basis.
Born in Vernon and raised in Surrey — where he still lives — Colins worked in landscaping for most of his adult years until finding a new job with Coast Mountain Bus Company four years ago. After one year, he moved to the district.
A family man — with a wife of 18 years and two sons — there are few questions you can ask of Colins that won’t garner a response that doesn’t involve the consideration of others, especially family.
What does he do when he’s not at work? He crabs, fishes and rides bikes with his kids.
If not with his kids, then what?
“I hang out with my wife, go out for dinner, work on my home,” said Colins.
His two boys have learning challenges, something that has given Colins the patience required for transporting students in need of one-on-one care.
He helps coach both his sons in sports, which helps break his 14-year-old son out of his shell.
“We’ll go at each other. It’s fun. And it’s a challenge,” he chuckles.
He also cracks shells at work, a job he notes is not just driving students from point A to point B.
“When I started, I said I would drive any bus, any route, any time, it doesn’t matter. And then I got this run and you work with the same bus aide day-in and day-out,” said Colins. “We have one little girl who came on the bus and she kept her head down at first. But slowly she raised her head and she liked to go a certain (route) . . . if it was a different way she would get upset. Now she gets on the bus and she’s yelling my name and she’s looking at me in the mirror and saying ‘boo,’ — that’s her latest thing. The kids, you make a bond with them. And it’s their decision if they accept you or not,” explained Colins.
He said his job is part of the education process, as getting kids to and from school in a comfortable and reliable manner helps parents, teachers and colleagues. If kids show up to school “off the wall,” it can have an immediate impact on learning in the classroom, noted Colins.
He questions if the same job can be done in a for-profit environment, should the district privatize the service, as proposed.
“Would a private for-profit company send out two people on a 45-minute round trip for one student?”
Driving fines double for failing to stop for Tom
Last week, the provincial government announced it will more than double the fines for drivers who fail to stop for a parked school bus with its lights flashing.
Minister of Transportation Todd Stone said fines will increase from $167 to $368, to come in line with other Canadian provinces.
According to the government, between 2009 and 2011, 1,100 violation tickets have been issued by police for such infractions.
While no child in B.C. has died while getting on or off a bus, 14 have been injured.
