Yesterday at noon, a Weibo post titled "Bus Driver Unable to Tolerate Passenger Abuse Turns Off Engine and Gets Off the Bus to Adjust Emotions" went viral online. Within a few hours, it was forwarded 509 times and garnered 342 comments. The vast majority of passengers supported the driver's actions. However, experts from the bus industry association stated that while the abusive passenger was certainly wrong, according to relevant regulations, the driver's action of "leaving the vehicle stranded at the station" could be considered a violation.
The incident began the previous evening on a bus traveling from central Nanjing to Pukou. A male and female passenger boarded, and the driver, hearing only one card-swipe sound, asked the female passenger, "Why was there only one swipe?" Unexpectedly, the passengers felt they had been wronged and proceeded to verbally abuse the driver for two stops without stopping. Unable to endure it any longer, the driver stopped the bus, turned off the engine, and got off to "adjust emotions," leaving the passengers waiting for half an hour.
This Weibo post immediately sparked heated discussions among netizens, with over 95% supporting the driver. They believed that working in the service industry is not easy, and driving with emotions is a major taboo for bus drivers. They praised this driver for having a good mindset and being rational, saying that stepping out to calm down was not wrong.
Citizen He Yingjie said that emotional driving is very dangerous. This is a responsible driver who is not only responsible for his own dignity but also for the safety of all passengers on board. Netizen "My Ocean" also suggested that to gain respect from others, one must first respect others and should adopt practices from foreign airlines by asking troublemaking passengers to disembark.
Peers expressed understanding but did not agree with abandoning the vehicle. Yesterday afternoon, reporters randomly surveyed some urban bus drivers on routes 510, 737, and 111, asking, "If you encounter a similar situation during operation, what would you do?" Many drivers admitted that they understood the feelings of this Nanjing bus driver. Nowadays, bus drivers have to drive, open doors, and also pay attention to passengers swiping cards or inserting coins, which is really exhausting. If a driver hears something unpleasant, they might face verbal abuse or even physical assault. In fact, asking passengers if they have swiped their cards has no malicious intent and does not involve framing anyone; it is merely fulfilling one's job responsibilities, as one driver explained.
"Indeed, there are cases where individual passengers are unreasonable and cause disturbances, but as professional bus drivers, abandoning a whole bus full of passengers seems too extreme," said Tang Chen, a driver of route 111 at Wulong Road Fleet of Shanghai Bus No. 2 Company, when interviewed yesterday. He pointed out that the root cause of the incident was clearly the fault of the passengers. Drivers should "give three points of leeway when they have the upper hand," which can win the support of passengers. Drivers should also learn to see things from another perspective. If drivers only consider their own emotions and disregard the interests of other passengers, abandoning the vehicle to "strike" may instead cause dissatisfaction among passengers on board. In the end, this could be detrimental to the driver.
According to Shanghai’s regulations, such behavior might be considered a violation. Reporters looked up the "Regulations on the Management of Public Bus and Tram Transport in Shanghai," issued on November 9, 2010. Although these regulations do not specify detailed rules for how drivers should handle "abuse incidents," Article 8 under the provisions regarding "Rules that drivers and conductors must follow when providing operational services" states that "vehicles shall not remain stranded at stations, hindering operational order."
"If we refer to Shanghai's regulations, the driver's behavior could potentially violate the management regulations," said an experienced expert from the Shanghai Bus Industry Association. They believe that the primary responsibility of a bus driver after taking their post is to focus and ensure passengers are safely delivered to their destinations, which is the most basic professional duty of a driver. Leaving passengers stranded halfway is definitely wrong as it could hinder subsequent vehicles from entering the station and even affect the operations of other routes. Passengers dissatisfied with the driver's service can file complaints with the respective company.
"Passengers should step forward to mediate, ease tensions, and help the driver regain composure so that the situation does not escalate to this extent," the person added.