Garold “Gary” Brill grew up in Southern California, sneaking into Disneyland for fun. Other times, he and his friends would pay 25 cents to take a bus down to the beach.

“It was no big deal,” he said.

When he moved to Butler, where he took a job as a bus driver for the Butler Transit Authority, people were amazed by how often he went to visit the home of Mickey Mouse as a child. For him, that wasn't notable. But moving to a place where there are well-defined season changes and snow sticks to the ground?

“I love it. It's exciting. I love the cold. I love the four seasons. I love the changes in the weather,” said Brill, 56. “I think the snow is really cool. I go out and play in it.”

When Brill moved to Butler in 2017, he was amazed by how different the weather was to his home state. “For me to really sit down and see snowflakes come down, I've only experienced that when I moved out here,” he said. “It's so different from what I'm used to.”

Brill began working for the Butler Transit Authority in April 2019 and just as he was getting used to the snow and the area, the coronavirus pandemic spread throughout the country, setting off a new set of realities he had to contend with. Like other parts of society, public transportation was scaled back and precautions were put in place to limit the spread of the virus.

As Brill learned more about the virus, he made the decision to continue working.

“I did what I was told and I worked,” he said. “There's a lot of people that had to get to work, and if I wasn't there driving they would have to get there another way, but here I am getting them there.”

[naviga:h3]Shuttling riders safely[/naviga:h3]

In mid-March, the authority implemented various precautions and bus drivers like Brill enacted those measures. His routes, he said, consist of shuttling commuters between Pittsburgh and Butler and the local city route. All fares were waived and passengers were directed to use the back of the bus and to remain behind the white line to protect drivers from a possible virus exposure.

The beginning of the month is always the busiest for his routes because, he said, that is when most people get money from social welfare programs, allowing them to shop for goods.

“One big problem was trying to keep that six-foot distance, especially Saturdays. They were the worst,” he said. “People who don't have a car get on the bus and go to Walmart to do their shopping. When this all started we cut down the number of riders per bus.”

The solution, Brill said, was to have a second bus shadow the first and pick up passengers.

At first, Brill noticed that some people couldn't afford masks or they couldn't find available masks.

“It was hard to remember for them to have a mask in the first place. On top of that, people were hoarding, so there weren't many masks out there so people were taking the bus up to the hospital to get a mask,” he said.

Brill began carrying masks with him on the bus and would hand them for free to anyone who needed them.

“People were having to get used to wearing the mask and being cognizant of their surroundings and other people. It really made people question how it used to be compared to now,” he said. “It took about two weeks and then everybody got into the groove.”

[naviga:h3]Connecting with commuters[/naviga:h3]

Brill has been driving commercially since 1985 and for 22 years years he shuttled inmates between prison and court appearances and worksites for the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

“As law enforcement, you look at things that could go wrong or sideways. Now, when they get on the bus, I look at it like they're my family and I have to protect them. It's a different mindset,” Brill said. “It allows me to be more personable with the riders and talk to them in a different manner, different light.”

But other parts of law enforcement have helped him, he said.

“I learned verbal judo as a cop and I use that skill now,” Brill said. “Everybody has their own little world, and getting on the bus you have 25 little worlds colliding.”

And sometimes, he said, those worlds collide and create trouble between the passengers, especially with the heightened anxiety he's noticed.

“Once in a while you have somebody who is having a bad morning,” Brill said. “It's life. That's what happens. As the bus driver, I have to resolve everything that split second so that nothing escalates. It comes in handy. I enjoy talking with the people.”

A lot of his job, he said, is just listening while driving.

“I have my regulars that ride and I have the new riders who need directions. You become a bus counselor and a tour guide while driving,” Brill said. “You really hear everybody's problems. I listen. It's just background noise. It doesn't bother me to have somebody sit down and unload their problems on me. If it helps them have a better day, so be it. When I get home, I enjoy myself and it doesn't hurt me.”

He continued, “I'll be more than happy to give you answers. You may not like my answers. That's what I like. I like being able to be on the receiving end of talking to people instead of the other way around.”

Brill retired from The Orange County Sheriff's department in Southern California in 2014 and he said he took the bus job for health insurance. But he also wanted to find something that would keep him engaged.

“I want to do something that I enjoy. And I enjoy driving the bus and riding with the public. I like that so this is something for me to do,” Brill said. “Every day is different. Some days, I want to pull out what little hair I have left. But other days you are giggling with these characters and their stories. I get these little episodes of what happened in Butler and their life.”