They say laughter is the best medicine. And Coast Mountain Bus Company operator Kelly Podlubny’s penchant for laughter has catapulted him to a world championship.

He was crowned the 2025 World Laughing Champion after outlasting his nine international opponents in nine gruelling laughter challenges.

“I was really stunned in the beginning,” recalls Kelly, laughing naturally. “To realize that, ‘Wow, I’m actually good at something,’ and for something as silly as laughter.

“It felt great and made me realize what I was doing was worthwhile. It also gives me a chance to share it with others.”

The competitors were paired off going head-to-head for each category. It covered everything from a diabolical and sultry laugh, to laughing at the state of the world and laughing while crying.

After letting out their best laugh, the audience would take turns voting for the best, and the person with the least votes was eliminated each round.

Kelly was the last one standing and crowned champion — a title earned not in a packed auditorium but in a packed virtual room on Zoom, underscoring the global nature of the competition.

Laughter yoga

Kelly learned to conjure a laugh on demand after discovering laughter yoga — as if he was a wizard sipping on a laughing potion.

He stumbled upon it by accident while watching the television series Tosh.O on Much. A clip aired of someone wearing a laughter yoga shirt and it piqued Kelly’s interest who looked up what it was. He found a laughter yoga club in North Vancouver, attended one session, and was hooked.

Laughter yoga features a series of movement and breathing exercises designed to encourage people to laugh intentionally, even without a humorous trigger, to boost both physical and mental well-being.

These exercises, which are led by a certified laughter yoga leader, might involve asking participants to breathe deeply, hold it, and let it out with a laugh.

For Kelly, laughter yoga has been the unexpected antidote for the demands that come with operating a bus in Metro Vancouver’s busy urban environment.

His route is the 130 Metrotown Station/Phibbs Station, one that can often be affected by congestion on the roads leading to the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing.

Kelly has shared this practice with colleagues, helping fellow operators and anyone keen to decompress and rewire their reactions to life’s frustrations.

“When someone cuts me off in traffic, I just laugh it off. It’s the easiest way to let something go.”

Kelly never set out to become a laughing world champion — he just wanted to use laughter to be a “champ” for his customers who rely on him every single day.

“Customer service is really important to me,” Kelly says. “If I can laugh with the passenger getting on in the first 10 to 15 seconds of an interaction, that just makes my day so much better.”

A 17-year career as an operator

Kelly has been driving with Coast Mountain Bus Company for about 17 years now.

Coast Mountain, which is TransLink’s largest operating company, is responsible for more than 96 per cent of the region’s bus service, including the SeaBus. Chances are if you ride a bus, it’s driven by a dedicated Coast Mountain operator like Kelly.

Kelly started his career as an operator with Edmonton Transit Service, but Vancouver and its milder winters came calling in 2008.

That’s when Edmonton decided to decommission its trolleybus network and his parents were looking for a place to retire.

“I’m a trolley fanatic,” Kelly admits. “When Edmonton got rid of their trolley buses, I moved to Vancouver. I haven’t looked back since.”

Drive with Kelly

Kelly invites others to join him at Coast Mountain as a bus operator and do work that matters. Each day, nearly half-a-million people ride transit to get to the people and places that matter most to them.

Like all jobs, there are challenges that come with it, but the people he works with makes it easy for him to want to come back every day.

“The camaraderie among the coworkers is a huge thing for me,” he says. “Being able to meet new and awesome people on a daily basis is pretty exciting.”

It’s a pivotal time to be working at TransLink and Coast Mountain.

We’re currently amid our largest bus expansion since 2018 thanks to new funding unlocked through the 2025 Investment Plan. Just recently, we delivered improvements to 53 routes used by more than 100,000 people daily.

A major renewal of our bus fleet is also underway as part of our move to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and a more climate-resilient transit system by 2050.

For bus operators like Kelly, these aren’t just numbers and lofty goals, they represent new opportunities and one more reason to take pride in their work.

But Kelly’s impact goes beyond the operator’s seat. Every Sunday, he co-runs a laughter club and is preparing to train others in leading laughter yoga sessions.

“There are opportunities out there for people to learn,” Kelly says. “If they want to get better at unconditional laughter, I’m happy to help.”

When asked about the future, Kelly is content.

“I’ve had varied experiences in transit, but I feel I excel best as an operator. Maybe I’ll defend my title next year — why not try again?”