Preston – Finding Your Place, One Route at a Time

“You never know what’s next”

Preston has been driving buses in Tauranga for several years, but his journey to the driver’s seat began a long way from the Bay of Plenty.

“My original name is Chuxin Chen,” he explains. “It’s hard for people to pronounce, so I use Preston – it’s just easier.”

Back in China, he worked as a project manager for a telecommunications company. “We were a small to medium-sized company, like a third party for the big ones,” he says. Life was busy, structured, and mostly spent behind a desk.
In 2016, Preston moved to New Zealand. “At first, I worked in orchards, picking kiwifruit, and in the packing house,” he says. “I also did some volunteer work with St Vincent de Paul – we called it Vinnie. I did a lot of different things.”

Eventually, he found himself behind the wheel. “Driving a bus is different to any other job I’ve done,” he says. “You’re serving people. Every day, you meet different people, go to different places. It’s interesting – you never know what’s next.”

Seeing change – every day

Being on the road means he sees the world through the window of his bus, providing unexpected insights.
“I see so much with this job and notice things” he says. “I notice when something’s changing – new buildings, new shops, even when the price of houses is going up. You see the signs.”

Finding freedom in Tauranga

For Preston, Tauranga has become home. “I’ve been here nearly ten years,” he says. “I love the sunshine.” He appreciates Tauranga’s small, friendly feel. “Everything is different here,” he says. “There are not many Chinese people in Tauranga, but you can be yourself. It feels very freeing.”

His favourite route is easy to name. “The most beautiful route is number 5 – to the Mount. If you get the timing right in the afternoon, you can see the sunset. It’s very beautiful.”

Connecting with People

Preston would love to have more time to spend on his English but enjoys small moments of connection on board. “People here are very friendly,” he says. “Most of them say hello when they get on and thank you when they get off. It feels good when people do that.”

He smiles. “When someone says, ‘Thanks, driver,’ even if I’ve had a bad day, it can make my day better. Those words – they mean a lot.”

The unexpected lessons

Preston has had his share of challenges, including one he’ll never forget. “Once, a boy punched me in the face,” he says quietly. “It was in the newspaper.” The incident began when he missed a stop, apologised, and thought it was fine. A few stops later, the boy lashed out and Preston believes this is something that the boy will reflect on when he is older.

Rather than let it harden him, he says the experience reminded him to stay calm and patient. “You learn and move on”.

Karaoke, cooking, and community.

Outside of work, Preston enjoys simple pleasures. “I like to sing – karaoke is very popular in Asia,” he says, laughing. “Sometimes I invite my colleagues or friends over. We sing in different languages – Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, English. It feels good.”

Before the music starts, there’s always food. “Me and my wife, we love cooking,” he says. “We cook and share food with our neighbours. I ask them to give me a score,” he laughs.

It’s these small gatherings that make him feel connected – a world away from where he started, but surrounded by community.

A job that surprises you

Looking back, Preston never expected to find so much meaning in driving a bus. “When I worked in an office, you just finished your job – you answer the phone, do the computer work,” he says. “But this job, you meet people. You help them. You see your community changing.”

On short breaks he reads from Zhuangzi, an old Chinese philosopher who wrote about facing things as they are. It reminds him to be honest and steady. To solve what can be solved and to keep going.
He pauses, smiling. “Every day is different. That’s what makes it really good.”

Preston and the Sweet Side of the Job

For Preston, one of the unexpected joys of driving a bus is how often kindness turns up – sometimes quite literally – in the form of chocolate.

“Sometimes passengers give me a little gift,” he says with a smile. “Once, someone handed me a pin – no reason, just said, ‘This is for you,’ and left. Another time, a little girl gave me a chocolate because she saw me help an elderly lady off the bus. She said it was for what I did.”

It’s these small gestures that stick with him – the tiny thank-yous that make a long day on the road feel a bit brighter.

Then there’s the man with the waffles.

“We’ve got a gentleman who always brings a sweet for the driver,” Preston explains. “Doesn’t matter which driver it is – every time he catches the bus, he gives one packet of waffles.”
The same flavour, every time. The same kind thought, too.

“It’s too sweet for me,” Preston laughs. “Sometimes we share them in the staff room. But still — it’s nice. He does it for everyone.”

Preston isn’t short on sweet treats – his wife is a chef and a dab hand in the kitchen — but it’s the unexpected ones from passengers that have really left their mark.

“People don’t need to say much,” he says. “Just a thank you, or a little something like that — it means a lot.”