iN VIDEO: Bus driver on Okanagan Connector during snowstorm tells passengers he won’t risk their lives

An Ebus driver’s speech to his passengers while dealing with less-than-ideal road conditions during a winter storm this week has gone viral on TikTok.

The video was posted by Lexi Reid (@Lexiireid) on Nov. 30, and shows a bus driver telling passengers he doesn’t care how long it takes him to get from Kelowna to Merritt as long as everyone is safe.

Heavy snowfall from winter storms have battered high elevation highways in the southern Interior recently, including the Okanagan Connector from Kelowna to Merritt.

“Listen to how much the bus driver cares about us,” reads the caption.

“It’s bad weather, it’s winter, I don’t care how long it takes me to get over there,” the Ebus driver said. “If I gotta go 30 km/h all the way to Merritt and it takes me five hours to get there, that’s what we’re doing folks because I’m not going to risk your lives.”

The video has received more than 148,000 likes and has been viewed more than 700,000 times.

@lexiireid never felt so loved in my life #busdriver #snowfall #connector #coq #vancouver #winter #snowfallwarning #kelowna #merrit #fy #fyp ? Aglow (Intro) – Slowed Down Version – Karamel Kel

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Carli Berry

Carli Berry has been telling stories in the Okanagan for the past three years and after finding her footing in the newspaper industry, joined the Infonews team in January 2020. Recipient of the 2019 MA Murray award for feature writing, Carli is passionate about stories that involve housing, business and the environment. Born on Vancouver Island, she is happy to say Okanagan Lake reminds, her slightly, of the ocean. Carli can be reached at (250) 864-7494 or email cberry@infonews.ca.

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