It was just like any morning that Richard catches his bus to get to work (okay he is also an avid cyclist!). This particular bus is one that sits and waits for about ten minutes at the stop before starting their morning route.

One day, Richard decided to ask the driver to turn off his engine and stop idling until he was ready to depart.

After an initial brush off from the driver, Richard pointed out to the driver that he had already been idling the bus for several minutes and still had another five minutes to wait before departure – with no response, he then took his seat.

But this seemed to work… the driver switched off the engine until it was time to go! Richard decided to exit out the front door of the bus (even though he was closer to the back) to commend the driver for his actions, and even called in a commendation for the driver to Winnipeg Transit.

The next morning when Richard arrived at the bus stop, the bus was quiet…the driver had already turned the engine off…a serene and idle free morning for the happy green transit commuters.

Kudos to Richard….the power of one action can really make a difference in this city!

Richard C, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Story submitted by: Shoni Shukster Litinsky