Southland Transportation (photo Colton Mckee)

By Chantal Wagner

Local bus driver continues school routes despite early morning house fire

Nov 27, 2020 | 3:06 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – A bus driver from Prairie Rose Public Schools is being recognized by the division as an exceptional individual with phenomenal dedication to the students.

On Monday this week, Robyn Gilliland’s house in the Jenner area caught fire, but she still hopped on the bus a few hours later to drive the students to school.

Prairie Rose Director of Transportation Derek Beck says Gilliland drives two rural bus routes and is up at 5 am every day.

She has been filling in for a route that brings high school students from Buffalo to the Grasslands border to attend school in Duchess. As well as her Jenner School run.

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“She’s helping us out in another way. One of our bus drivers fell ill so she actually does two routes. She starts very early in the morning and does a high school route and then continues on and brings students back into Jenner. So she’s really stepped up for us.”

Beck believes it was an electrical fire with extensive damage to the inside of the home. Adding that she didn’t drive the afternoon route, but was back to work on Thursday this week.

A Go Fund Me page has since been set up for Robyn and her family.

And there has been great support from the division and Southland Transportation.

“We are just beside ourselves and the dedication to our Prairie Rose students and we were just taken aback and very shocked that she would continue to drive that morning. In her pyjamas by the way,” Beck said.

The school division only learned after the fact that Gilliland continued her day, despite the tragic event.

Beck adds their division drives over 16,000 kilometres per day, and they value their bus drivers who live out in the area.