Bus driver makes special stop, helps elderly passenger with groceries
A Winnipeg bus driver's good deed for an elderly passenger is earning praise on social media.
Last week, Amber Therrien was heading home from work on a Route 43 bus when it pulled to the curb near the corner of Munroe Avenue and Watt Street in the city's East Kildonan neighbourhood. It wasn't a posted route stop so she wondered what was happening.
That's when she saw an elderly lady toting a cane and groceries as she navigated her way off the bus, toward an apartment building close to where the bus had pulled up.
That's when the driver jumped into action, Therrien said.
"He grabbed all of her grocery bags and then he ran all the way to her apartment block and dropped them off and ran back [to the bus]," she said.
"At first I was like, 'What is he doing?' And then I saw it and thought 'oh my gosh, I've never seen a bus driver do that.'"
She was so moved by the good deed that Therrien took a photo of the driver as he got back onto the bus and posted it on Facebook, along with a caption describing what he did.
Since then, it has been shared about 360 times with more than 800 likes and a number of comments, including one that said "Good job man."
"I'm still surprised it exploded around the internet the way it did," Therrien wrote in another post. "I just posted it thinking only friends would care … but wow."
Not only did the post reach far more people than she expected, it was seen by the person it applauded.
Therrien received a Facebook message from the driver about a day after it was posted, thanking her and saying it brought tears to his eyes.
"He said he really appreciates what I did."
That was a relief to Therrien, who was worried the driver might get in trouble for leaving the bus unattended.
She hopes the attention the driver has received will help shine a light on the good people out there, especially bus drivers who are often on the receiving end of vitriol from angry passengers.
"They don't all have to take our groceries to the door, obviously, but it is nice that there are super friendly bus drivers out there," she said.
