Vancouver bus driver Charanjit Parhar was the “nicest person you could ever meet”

COAST Mountain Bus Company operator Charanjit Parhar, 64, who was pinned between two transit buses in Downtown Vancouver on Monday, has died in hospital.

Photojournalist Sukhwant Dhillon of southeast Vancouver, who had known Parhar for years, told The VOICE that he was “the nicest person you could ever meet.” “He had a golden heart,” he added.

Vancouver Police said the collision happened around 8:30 a.m. on September 27 near Cambie and Cordova streets. Parhar was pinned between the two transit vehicles as he was dealing with a mechanical issue on his bus. He was taken to hospital by paramedics for life-threatening injures.

“The circumstances of this fatality are heartbreaking,” said Vancouver Police Constable Tania Visintin on Wednesday. “VPD’s Collision Investigation Unit is working closely with Coast Mountain Bus Company and Worksafe BC to determine the cause of this collision.”

One of the transit buses involved in the collision.
Photos submitted by Sukhwant Dhillon

 

This is Vancouver’s 13th fatal collision of 2021. Witnesses or anyone with dash-cam footage are asked to call VPD’s Collision Investigation Unit at 604-717-3012.

TransLink announced that they would hold a moment of silence at 3 p.m. on Wednesday across their organization in Parhar’s honour. “Buses will pull over, if it’s safe to do so, and the SeaBus will hold at the terminal to remember our colleague and thank them for their 21 years of dedication and service to our community.”

 

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