Dad moved as SBS Transit driver waits for him and son to climb double-decker stairs: 'A man with actual empathy for passengers'

A simple act of patience by an SBS Transit bus captain has earned praise from a father after the former waited for the man and his four-year-old son to safely take their seats before moving off.

Taking to his LinkedIn on Sunday (Sep 6), Andrew Davey said the incident took place on Saturday at around 10.34am on bus service 7, which was travelling along Holland Road towards Napier station and Holland Village.

Davey, who identified the bus captain as Zul, said he was travelling with his four-year-old son, Hudson, who is a fan of local buses.

Davey shared that Hudson particularly enjoys taking the double-decker bus and sitting in the front seat on the upper deck, where he can watch his surroundings.

But getting a young child onto a bus while juggling belongings can be a challenge, he pointed out.

Davey recounted that while he was juggling his bag, tapping his fare card and helping Hudson up the stairs, Zul noticed that they had not yet reached their seats and waited for them.

"He just read the situation, held the bus until we were safely up top and planted in our seats, and only then pulled away," said Davey.

Online compliment submitted to SBS Transit

For Davey, the moment reflected more than simple good customer service.

"That's a man doing a job with actual empathy for his passengers, noticing a father and a small kid on unsteady stairs, and deciding, unprompted, that a minute of his schedule mattered less than that kid's safety," said Davey.

"You can't train someone to do that in a workshop. You can create a culture where doing that feels normal, and Zul clearly works inside one. "

Davey added that when they finally reached their destination, he thanked Zul and submitted a compliment to SBS Transit through its website.

"Zul, if this reaches you, your work does not go unnoticed, and neither does the extra minute you gave a stranger's kid without being asked," he said.

AsiaOne has reached out to SBS Transit for comment.

xingying.koh@asiaone.com

一位新捷运巴士司机展现出的耐心赢得了这位父亲的赞扬，他等到这位父亲和他的四岁儿子安全就座后才开车离开。

Andrew Davey 于周日（9 月 6 日）在 LinkedIn 上表示，该事件发生在周六上午 10 点 34 分左右，当时 7 路公交车正沿着荷兰路驶往纳皮尔车站和荷兰村。

戴维确认巴士司机名叫祖尔，他说他当时带着四岁的儿子哈德森一起旅行，哈德森很喜欢当地的公交车。

戴维透露，哈德森特别喜欢乘坐双层巴士，坐在上层巴士的前排座位上，在那里他可以观察周围的环境。

但他指出，带着年幼的孩子上公交车，同时还要兼顾行李，可能是一项挑战。

戴维回忆说，当时他一边忙着拿包、刷卡，一边扶着哈德森上楼，祖尔注意到他们还没找到座位，便等着他们。

“他判断出了当时的情况，等我们安全到达上层并坐好后，才启动巴士，”戴维说。

向SBS Transit提交的在线表扬

对戴维来说，这一刻所体现的不仅仅是良好的客户服务。

“那是一个真正关心乘客、体谅乘客感受的人，他注意到一位父亲带着一个小孩在不稳的楼梯上，并且主动决定，比起自己的一分钟时间，孩子的安全更重要，”戴维说。

“你不可能在研讨会上教会别人怎么做。但你可以创造一种让这种行为感觉很正常的文化，而祖尔显然就是在这种文化氛围中工作的。”

戴维补充说，当他们最终到达目的地时，他感谢了祖尔，并通过SBS Transit的网站向其表达了赞扬。

“祖尔，如果你看到了这条信息，你的付出不会被忽视，你主动帮助陌生人的孩子的那一分钟也不会被忽视，”他说。

AsiaOne已联系SBS Transit征求意见。

邢英.koh@asiaone.com