SMRT Bus Captain Praised for Demonstrating His Care for His Passengers

The bus. A friendlier alternative to impersonal, cranky trains whose only advantage is a shorter travel time until its peak hour and they jolt to a sudden stop.

Just look at bus captains restoring our faith in humanity, one passenger at a time. 

SMRT Captain Praised for Customer Experience

On 17 May, Facebook user Kalyani Mohan took to the social media platform in praise of an SMRT bus captain operating service 920.

She detailed her account with the kind-hearted driver: when he noticed she was running in fear of missing the bus, he sounded his horn to signal that there was no rush, and waited for her to board the bus.

I need someone like this every morning. 

The driver also waited for a newly-boarded elderly couple to arrive at their seats before he started driving. When informed that they were not planning to sit since their destination was a short distance away, he promised, “I’ll drive slowly, you both hold carefully ok?”

How touching. What more was that, in Mohan’s words, “he seems to know all his passengers who get in his bus”. He would greet everyone as they boarded, even “mak[ing] friends” with them.

In the post uploaded (ironically) to group Complaint Singapore, Mohan spoke in compliment that he was “a great example of service ambassadors”, and called on SMRT to “please convey my kudos to him”.

You can read the full Facebook post at this link. Certainly no complaints here.

Bus Captains Making People’s Day

Just imagine yourself happily sauntering under the sun without a mask, until you start feeling suspiciously naked and wonder what’s missing.

At once you hear police sirens, screams of onlookers, and whatever background music that plays when you are about to contract COVID-19.

Such was the fear that commuter Steven Ho experienced last November, as he realised he had forgotten to wear the one essential piece of clothing nobody could leave behind.

In his horror, he stepped out of the bus, only to be stopped by the bus captain, who offered him a spare mask and asked if one was enough.

The captain, named Shi Yun by SBS Transit, happily complied when Ho asked to take a selfie with her and to publicise her good deed on Facebook. You can read the full Facebook post below.

According to Mothership, another bus driver—already 72 years old—made the extraordinary gesture to shelter every passenger alighting and boarding with an umbrella when it was heavily raining.

The captain, named Hoe Soo Hiong by SBS Transit, explained that she was “concerned that [her] passengers would catch a cold and fall sick if they got soaking wet in the rain”.

Awwwww. I’d gladly pay higher bus fares now.

Featured Image: Facebook (Kalyani Mohan)