In a heart-warming gesture, Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) staff rushed a pregnant passenger, who developed uneasiness while traveling in the bus, to hospital on time.
On Monday morning, the bus began its journey as usual from the Chadayamangalam depot in Kollam district and was headed to Thiruvananthapuram. The woman boarded the bus with her husband and son at Ayoor at around 8.30 am.
Driver Girish and conductor Sajan K John acted sensibly when they noticed that the woman did not seem to be feeling well.
“When the bus reached Kanyakulangara I noticed that the woman had some uneasiness. Her husband was standing at the back of the bus. I told him to take care of her,” Sajan told TNM. The woman is eight months pregnant.
The driver and conductor had no second thoughts, they immediately decided to help the woman get medical attention. They did not wait for another vehicle nor did they make the family alight midway. They headed the bus straight to the Sree Avittom Thirunal Hospital for Women and Children in Thiruvananthapuram, nearly 20 km from Kanyakulangara.
The other passengers also rose to the occasion. One regular passenger, a police constable, informed the police control room. The police in turn cleared the traffic on the route, which was crucial, especially because it was peak hours at the beginning of the week. There were nearly 70 passengers in the bus at that time. Some of the passengers stood up from their seats and waved to alert other vehicles on the road to clear the way. A vehicle from the police control room was awaiting the bus at Kesavadasapuram in the city and acted as a pilot vehicle for the bus so that it would not get stuck in the traffic.
“There were passengers who had to alight at intermediate stops. But they didn’t ask to stop the bus, instead they were ready to cooperate. After Vattappara the bus stopped at the hospital only,” Sajan said.
Both Girish and Sajan didn’t stop there. On Tuesday morning, they visited the woman at the hospital. “We don’t know her name still. But we visited her at the hospital in the morning,” he added.