Three commended for stepping up during Tower Transit bus driver's medical emergency

When a bus captain on service 854 experienced a medical emergency in September, quick-thinking commuters helped to bring the bus safely to a stop.

(Left to right) SBS bus captain, Mr Toh Tiong Huat, and commuters Ms Ng Lihui and Ms Neo Ying Ying reenacting their positions on the day they helped a Tower Transit bus driver experiencing a medical emergency on bus 854, on Oct 16, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Alyssa Tan)

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SINGAPORE: For first-year polytechnic student Neo Ying Ying, Sep 14 was just like any other day. After completing a driving lesson at Ubi, she boarded bus service 854 to get home.

Ms Neo, 18, recalls the Tower Transit bus being quiet when she boarded, with only a handful of passengers on the lower and upper decks. She slipped her AirPods on and settled in for the journey home – but not long after, she was jolted by a sudden, jerking halt.

Her first instinct was to rush to the front of the bus, where she found the elderly bus captain slumped unconscious in his seat. The bus had struck a curb, but was still inching forward.

Another passenger, Ms Ng Lihui, wasted no time climbing into the driver's seat in a bid to stop the bus.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less Spotting a sticker near the steering wheel that read "For Safety: Handbrake On" – a reminder for bus captains to engage the handbrake when not in motion – the 40-year-old was able to quickly locate the correct lever and bring the bus to a stop.

Spotting a sticker near the steering wheel that read "For Safety: Handbrake On" – a reminder for bus captains to engage the handbrake when not in motion – the 40-year-old was able to quickly locate the correct lever and bring the bus to a stop.

A close up of the sticker that Ng Lihui saw which led her to pull the handbrake to stop bus 854 when the bus driver had a medical emergency, Oct 16, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Alyssa Tan)

Ms Neo called for an ambulance, and with the help of a third passenger, she and Ms Ng moved the driver out from his seat and laid him down on the floor while waiting for paramedics to arrive.

"I didn't know how to react. It's my first time facing (something like) this. So I just went with the flow," said Ms Neo.

"I just hope that the uncle will recover because I think he's around the same age as my ah gong (grandfather)," she said.

The two women were among three individuals who were awarded tokens of appreciation at Yishun Integrated Transport Hub on Friday (Oct 16).

Thanking them for stepping up, Minister of State for Transport Baey Yam Keng said their actions had not only helped to save a life, but also ensured that the passengers on board were safe.

"This demonstrates the core of our Caring Commuters movement, where everyone can play a part to make our public transport journeys safer, more caring, and more inclusive," he said.

(From left to right) Director, Communications & Customer Experience Tower Transit Singapore Glenn Lim, Ng Lihui, Toh Tiong Huat, Neo Ying Ying, Minister of State for Transport, and Culture, Community and Youth Baey Yam Keng, Chief Executive, Public Transport Council Leow Yew Chin at Yishun Integrated Transport Hub, Oct 16, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Alyssa Tan)

The ceremony was organised by Tower Transit Singapore, in partnership with the Public Transport Council, and in support of the Caring SG Commuters movement.

Tower Transit Singapore is still looking for two individuals related to the incident: a commuter at the bus stop who first raised the alarm on the driver becoming unresponsive by banging on the bus door from outside the vehicle, and the passenger who helped Ms Ng and Ms Neo move the unresponsive driver and stayed with them until the ambulance arrived.

THE BUS CAPTAIN WHO STEPPED IN

SBS Transit bus captain Toh Tiong Huat, 60, was also awarded tokens of appreciation on Friday, including a hamper with goodies and supermarket vouchers.

Mr Toh was driving bus service 55 along Hougang Avenue 3 behind bus 854 when he noticed the vehicle moving erratically as it approached a bus stop.

He observed that a man waiting at the bus stop was banging on the front door of bus 854 and shouting to alert passengers. Other commuters waiting at the bus stop also appeared wary of boarding bus 854.

Concerned, Mr Toh parked his own bus and went over to investigate.

Boarding the bus, he recalls finding Ms Ng in the driver's seat and the bus captain unconscious. Mr Toh promptly contacted the Tower Transit Bus Operations Control Centre for assistance.

"Behind me, drivers were horning and a line of cars had formed … they did not know what had happened," he said in Mandarin.

Toh Tiong Huat recounting his experience of the day he a few others helped a bus driver when he had a medical emergency on bus 854, Oct 16, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Alyssa Tan)

Even after the emergency was over, the incident continued to weigh on his mind. For the next two nights, he struggled to fall asleep, worrying about the bus captain's condition.

"Hearing them say he's awake and is well, I felt really relieved," he said.

"NICE TO BE APPRECIATED"

When the incident started appearing in headlines, Ms Neo and Ms Ng began receiving related articles and posts from families and friends.

Neither had initially intended to identify themselves, they told CNA – but Ms Ng eventually did so at the encouragement of the people around her, while Ms Neo's cousin came forward on her behalf.

"I don't think we needed any appreciation. It could have gone unknown … (but) it's nice to be appreciated, of course," said Ms Ng, who works in food manufacturing.

Instead of sharing about the incident publicly, she recalls recounting the ordeal – which had spanned about 30 minutes – to friends after in a group chat.

As for Ms Neo, her first instinct upon catching another bus home was to text her mother about the incident.

She told CNA that witnessing the driver's medical distress had made her feel "very sad" afterward. The first thing she did when she got home: "Hug my ah gong and my ah ma," she said, referring to her grandfather and grandmother.

"I went to give them a big hug, then we went out for a meal."

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9 月份，854 路公交车的一名司机突发疾病，机智的乘客们帮助公交车安全停了下来。

（从左至右）SBS巴士司机杜忠发先生和乘客吴丽慧女士、梁莹莹女士重现了他们在2026年10月16日帮助854路巴士上突发疾病的Tower Transit巴士司机的情景。（图片：CNA/Alyssa Tan）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

新加坡：对于理工学院一年级学生梁莹莹来说，9月14日和往常一样。她在乌美（Ubi）完成驾驶课程后，搭乘854路公交车回家。

18岁的Neo女士回忆说，她上车时，Tower Transit巴士车厢里很安静，上下两层都只有寥寥几位乘客。她戴上AirPods耳机，准备开始回家的旅程——但没过多久，巴士突然猛地停了下来，让她吓了一跳。

她的第一反应是冲到车头，发现年迈的司机昏倒在座位上。公交车撞上了路沿，但仍在缓慢向前行驶。

另一名乘客吴丽慧女士立即爬上驾驶座，试图阻止巴士行驶。

CNA游戏 猜词游戏 逐行破解单词 流行词游戏 用给定的字母组成单词 迷你数独 小小的谜题，强大的脑力挑战 迷你填字游戏 小方格，大挑战 单词搜索 尽可能多地找出单词 显示更多 显示更少 这位40岁的男子在方向盘附近发现了一张贴纸，上面写着“为了安全：拉起手刹”——这是提醒公交车司机在车辆静止时拉起手刹——他迅速找到了正确的拉杆，并将公交车停了下来。

这位 40 岁的司机在方向盘附近发现了一张贴纸，上面写着“为了安全：拉起手刹”，提醒公交车司机在车辆静止时拉起手刹。他迅速找到了正确的拉杆，将公交车停了下来。

2026年10月16日，吴丽慧（Ng Lihui）看到一张贴纸，正是这张贴纸促使她拉起手刹，在854路公交车司机突发疾病时停车。（图片：CNA/Alyssa Tan）

Neo女士叫了救护车，并在第三名乘客的帮助下，与Ng女士一起将司机从座位上移开，让他躺在地板上，等待医护人员的到来。

“我不知道该如何反应。这是我第一次遇到这种情况。所以我只能顺其自然。”Neo女士说道。

“我只希望叔叔能康复，因为我觉得他和我爷爷年纪差不多，”她说。

周五（10 月 16 日），这两名女性与另外三人一同在义顺综合交通枢纽获得了感谢状。

交通部政务部长白炎庆感谢他们的挺身而出，并表示他们的行动不仅挽救了一条生命，也确保了机上乘客的安全。

他说：“这体现了我们‘关爱通勤者’运动的核心，每个人都可以参与其中，使我们的公共交通旅程更安全、更关爱、更包容。”

（从左至右）新加坡Tower Transit通讯及客户体验总监林国辉、吴丽慧、杜忠发、梁莹莹、交通及文化、社区及青年部政务部长白炎庆、公共交通理事会首席执行官廖耀进于义顺综合交通枢纽，2026年10月16日。（图片：CNA/Alyssa Tan）

此次仪式由新加坡塔城交通公司与公共交通理事会合作举办，旨在支持“关爱新加坡通勤者”运动。

新加坡塔式交通公司仍在寻找与该事件有关的两名人士：一名在巴士站的乘客，他首先在车外敲打巴士车门，发出司机失去反应的警报；以及一名乘客，他帮助吴女士和梁女士移动失去反应的司机，并一直陪伴她们直到救护车到达。

挺身而出的巴士车长

60岁的SBS Transit巴士队长杜忠发（Toh Tiong Huat）周五也获得了感谢状，其中包括装满礼品和超市代金券的礼篮。

杜先生当时驾驶着 55 路公交车沿着后港 3 道行驶，跟在 854 路公交车后面，他注意到这辆车在接近公交车站时行驶不稳。

他注意到，一名男子在公交车站等车时，正猛敲854路公交车的前门，并大声呼喊提醒乘客。其他在公交车站等车的乘客似乎也对乘坐854路公交车心存疑虑。

杜先生感到担忧，便将自己的巴士停好，过去查看情况。

他回忆说，上车后发现吴女士坐在驾驶座上，而巴士司机则昏迷不醒。杜先生立即联系了塔城巴士运营控制中心寻求帮助。

“在我身后，司机们都在按喇叭，已经排起了一长串车……他们不知道发生了什么事，”他用普通话说。

2026年10月16日，杜忠发讲述了他在854路公交车上与几位同伴一起帮助一位突发疾病的司机的经历。（图片：CNA/Alyssa Tan）

即使紧急情况已经过去，这件事仍然让他心神不宁。接下来的两个晚上，他辗转反侧难以入眠，担心着公交车司机的安危。

“听到他们说他已经醒了，而且身体状况良好，我真的松了一口气，”他说。

“被人欣赏的感觉真好”

当这起事件开始出现在新闻头条时，Neo女士和Ng女士开始收到家人和朋友发来的相关文章和帖子。

她们告诉亚洲新闻台，两人最初都不打算公开身份——但吴女士最终在周围人的鼓励下公开了身份，而梁女士的表妹则代表她站了出来。

“我觉得我们不需要任何赞赏。这件事本来可能无人知晓……（但是）当然，得到赞赏总是令人高兴的，”在食品制造业工作的吴女士说道。

她回忆说，事后她并没有公开谈论此事，而是在一个群聊中向朋友们讲述了这段持续了大约 30 分钟的煎熬经历。

至于Neo女士，她搭上另一辆公交车回家后的第一反应就是给妈妈发短信，告诉她这件事。

她告诉中央社，目睹司机当时的痛苦状况让她事后感到“非常难过”。她说，她到家后的第一件事就是“抱抱我的爷爷奶奶”。

“我上前给了他们一个大大的拥抱，然后我们出去吃饭了。”

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