+34
Retired Edmonton Transit Service bus drivers Randy Scott and Kent MacFarland returned to Ferrier garage for an open house celebrating ETS history, buses and staff.
Retired Edmonton Transit Service bus drivers Randy Scott and Kent MacFarland returned to an Edmonton Transit Service garage on Saturday for an open house at the Ferrier facility, the city's current oldest operational garage. The homecoming gave the two lifelong ETS employees a chance to revisit early buses and share memories of a career that began before power steering was standard.
Early Days Without Power Steering
MacFarland recalled that driving buses in the early years required physical strength. When the men started, buses had no power steering and everything was manual. He said that sometimes, with a full load, making a corner was quite hard.
The two retirees saw early iterations of city buses during the visit. Their careers stretched back far enough that MacFarland trained Kathy Andrews, the woman who paved the way for drivers of her gender in 1975 and for whom a Fort Road garage was named.
Ferrier Garage Open House Draws Crowds
Saturday's open house at Ferrier was a homecoming of sorts for Scott and MacFarland. They were delighted to see children running around, honking horns and learning about what makes the city go round.
Bus operations manager Walter Cadieux told CTV News Edmonton that there were a lot of smiles, especially when staff opened the compartment, let visitors sit in the operator's compartment and created a great photo opportunity.
The Ferrier facility alone employs more than 550 people who work behind the scenes in operations, fleet maintenance and light-duty mechanical work. Cadieux said the garage services some 230 buses.
Buses on Display and Behind-the-Scenes Work
Buses on display included those used for art, Indigenous showcases, Pride and other historic but retired equipment. Cadieux said the event gives visitors the opportunity to see all types of different equipment, with tours through the wash rack system and fuel base system, plus a training instructor on site.
Every operator starting a career with ETS begins at the Ferrier garage. Cadieux estimates that number to be in the thousands.
He said that everybody just sees a bus on the road and does not know what it takes to keep that bus on the road, adding that there is so much more that goes behind it.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Brandon Lynch.
Please follow us on Google to support usEdmonton Transit Service Ferrier Garage Randy Scott Kent Macfarland Kathy Andrews Walter Cadieux Edmonton Open House
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Retired VPD officer testifies at public hearing into Myles Gray deathA retired Vancouver police officer is testifying at a public hearing into the death of Myles Gray, who died after a violent altercation with police in 2015. The officer-turned-instructor discusses the implementation of body-worn cameras and the importance of de-escalation in policing, while the deceased's mother expresses concern over the officers' approach.
Read more »
Edmonton students combat hate with kindness in annual fundraiserEdmonton Islamic Academy students raised $2,000 and a van full of groceries for C5 Northgate Food Bank, learning to fight hate with service and community involvement.
Read more »
McDavid puts up five points, Edmonton Oilers outlast Vancouver Canucks for 9-7 winVANCOUVER — Connor McDavid scored his first goal of the season and tallied four assists as the Edmonton Oilers outlasted the Vancouver Canucks for a wild 9-7 victory on Thursday.
Read more »
Edmonton Transit App Gets Four-Year Subscription for All UsersEdmonton city council's executive committee approves a four-year subscription to the Transit app, giving all users full features at no extra cost, funded within the existing budget.
Read more »