Heart-shaped tribute installed at Vancouver bus stop where driver died

In a photo provided by the Coast Mountain Bus Company, a heart-shaped sign is shown at a Vancouver bus stop where it was installed as a memorial to a driver who died in a tragic accident in 2021.

A heart-shaped memorial has been installed at a bus stop in downtown Vancouver where a long-time driver died in a tragic accident.

In September of 2021, 64-year-old Charanjit Parhar was trapped between two trolley buses, suffering grave injuries that he would not survive.

To mark the one-year anniversary of his death, his union, along with his still-grieving family, arranged to have a heart with Parhar's seniority number installed at West Cordova and Homer streets as a permanent tribute.

"He was a very charming, very loving human being. He was always smiling at work. He's missed by his passengers is missed by his passengers," Unifor Local 111 president Balbir Mann told CTV News.

"We did that to cherish his memory, to symbolize his heart."

Mann says Parhar's wife, children, and grandchildren recently joined him and others from the union for an unveiling of the memorial.

"It was a very difficult time that day -- for the family, for myself -- everybody broke down. There was a huge gathering with the members, they came to pay respects. The family was very emotional about how much he was loved by his coworkers," Mann recalled.

"We rode to the bus stop where the accident had occurred and we dedicated the bus stop. That heart will stay forever, as long as the bus stop is there."

In addition to the bus stop, a room at the depot where staff clock-in and out has been renamed in memory of Parhar.

Last year, the day after Parhar died, the entire transit system observed a moment of silence. Mann says since the accident, which still haunts him, policies and procedures have been put in place to guard against something similar happening again.