Marking 3 generations behind the wheel at London Transit

It's not every day you expect to run into your family members at work.

But that was the case for retired London Transit driver Ronald McMullin, whose father, father-in-law and his son all drove buses for the commission. Over his 44-year career, Ronald even crossed paths with each of them on the road.

His son Glenn McMullin has carried on that legacy since 2001, becoming the third generation in the family to take the job.

"It's a good feeling to carry on the generation, we all had that same keenness, and we like to drive the buses," said Glenn. "It's neat working here and seeing my dad, we'd be driving on the other side of the road sometimes."

Ronald's father spent 33 years behind the wheel. His maternal grandfather drove buses for 15 years. Ronald remembers riding the bus with his dad as a child and thinking it "was very cool."

But for Ronald, working at London Transit wasn't so much about following in his dad's footsteps, but about finding a secure and stable job which the company offered. He worked at the commission from 1976 until his retirement in 2020.

Growing up with his dad and both grandfathers driving buses and catching rides with them made it only natural for Glenn to also be drawn to the profession. As a kid, he attended bus rodeo shows where he watched drivers showcase their skills to win prizes.

Over the years, the father-son duo witnessed significant changes at the transit commission with several new additions and developments.

"It has changed quite a bit," said Ronald. "It was 35 ft buses when I first started here, and now we've got air-conditioned buses, we've got 60 ft buses, so there's been quite a few changes through the years."

Those advancements went even further during Glenn's time at the company. When he first started, wheelchair accessible buses were just starting to be built, but now the entire fleet has accessible seats and entrances for people with mobility devices.

Many are also articulated buses, which are longer, more spacious vehicles made up of two rigid sections connected by a pivoting join. Ridership has also skyrocketed in recent years, he said.

"It's gotten pretty busy over the years, you can tell the ridership has pulled up a lot since I've been here and it just keeps growing," said Glenn.

"Now we're servicing the industrial areas and all these new areas that are popping up in London, so it's good that we're expanding out there, and it just means that more people and more bus services are available in London and the surrounding area."

According to Glenn, the McMullins aren't the only multi-generational family to work at the company. Many others have also embraced the family tradition of being London Transit drivers.

While Ronald is happily enjoying life as a retiree, Glenn plans to stay behind the wheel and looks forward to the next few decades of upcoming changes and trips.

"Every day is a new adventure, you see different people, so you get your good and bad days, but overall, after 20 years, I still enjoy the job," said Glenn.

"I like it very much, so it's a good feeling to come to a place of work that you're happy at. All in all, it's a great job."