Yesterday early morning, Master Cai drove the No. 151 bus from North Bridge onto the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge. However, when it was 200 meters away from the north gate, the clutch suddenly broke down and the car stopped moving forward but instead started to roll backwards. Master Cai, who has a 30-year driving experience, immediately stepped on the brakes upon seeing this situation. The full bus of passengers then got off one after another. Many office workers revealed anxious expressions. At this time, Mr. Ye, a private car owner, happened to pass by and enthusiastically invited everyone to get into his car. In just 10 minutes, several private cars and three or four buses from other routes that passed by successively took all 80 plus passengers across the bridge. "The quality of Nanjing people is still high, there are still many good-hearted people in this society," many passengers remarked that a small matter made them feel warm on a cold morning.
â–¡Fast reporter Haoduo
A bus breaks down on the bridge and private cars and buses come to help
At around 7:20 am yesterday, the No. 151 bus carrying a full load of passengers was heading towards Gulou from the direction of Liuzhou Road. After only more than 100 meters on the northern approach bridge, it suddenly couldn't move any further, "The clutch was not working, I think the spring might have broken." Master Cai decisively pulled the handbrake and then told all the passengers: "There's a problem with the bus, please get off, but please stand by the side and wait, don't rush, the next bus will soon be here to take all of you across."
What Master Cai meant by "across" was waiting for the next No. 151 bus to come and take these passengers away. "We issue a bus every three minutes during the peak hours, so the next bus will be here very soon."
In the morning between seven and eight o'clock, the bridge is already quite congested. With the bus breaking down and occupying one lane, it added to the chaos. In the cold wind mixed with drizzle, over 80 passengers anxiously waited on the slow lane, making the scene somewhat disordered.
Mr. Ye, a private car owner, slowed down his speed and drove along the slow lane. He rolled down his window: "Those who are in a hurry to go to work, please get in quickly." Following closely behind Mr. Ye's car were a red Mazda6 and a gray sedan, which quickly took away four or five young people in a hurry to work, "They should all be private car owners, taking people along the way," said Mr. Ye.
After a few private cars left, within two minutes, a No. 156 bus came by. The stranded passengers hopefully looked at it, only to find out it wasn't No. 151, and they all felt a bit disappointed. Unexpectedly, the No. 156 bus actually stopped. Master Cai ran to the driver's window, exchanged a few words, and then the door of the No. 156 bus opened, and more than ten passengers rushed in.
Immediately after, No. 132, No. 168, and several non-No. 151 buses also stopped. These buses, according to their passenger capacity, took away all 80 plus "stranded" passengers in batches and free of charge. "From the bus breaking down to all these passengers being taken across, it took about 10 minutes," said Master Cai. Half an hour later, the breakdown truck from the fleet arrived and towed the broken-down No. 151 bus away.
Mr. Ye, aged 40, runs a company in Nanjing. Early yesterday morning, he was driving from North Bridge to Caochangmen for work. After driving onto the bridge, he saw a bus ahead had broken down, so he subconsciously drove over to pick up people.
"Early in the morning, everyone is rushing to work, if we can help, we definitely should," said Mr. Ye. After getting on the car, three passengers insisted on giving him "gas money", "Some gave 10 yuan, others gave 50 yuan, but I told them that I'm just taking you along the way, if I charged fees, I might as well get an operating license."
However, the three passengers still insisted on paying. Mr. Ye had to say harshly, "If you give me money, please get off." Finally, Mr. Ye dropped two passengers at South Bridge Road and one at Caochangmen. "I won't intentionally detour to send them, I just dropped them off at appropriate places according to my route."
"It's just a trivial matter, I can really understand these office workers because I've experienced it too. They may lose a lot of money due to being late by just one minute," said Mr. Ye. He moved to North Bridge last July, and since then, he often "takes people along the way," "Counting up, it's been over 20 times. There are vehicles breaking down halfway, elderly people with mobility difficulties stopping cars, and electric bike riders unable to continue."
Mr. Ye said his first time picking someone up was when he saw a father in his 40s riding a bike with a child around 10 years old, "Probably due to the low power of the electric bike, the father seemed very strained while going uphill. Because of traffic jam, I rolled down my window and said 'Put the child in my car, I'll help you bring him to South Bridge Road.' The father didn't trust me, so I left my driver's license with him."
Private Car Owner: I've taken people along the way over 20 times
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Bus Driver: If I can help, I definitely will
After Mr. Ye and a few other private car owners took a few passengers, the first No. 156 bus passed by and also took more than 10 passengers.
The on-duty driver, Bi Jiajia, who had just turned regular two months ago, said, "When I saw the No. 151 bus parked ahead, I guessed it must have broken down, so I deliberately slowed down to offer help. At this time, Master Cai ran over and asked me to help take some passengers, so I opened the door and let them get on."
Bi Jiajia said, "Public transportation is inherently a service industry for the people, taking a few passengers doesn't cost much effort. Moreover, No. 151 was so crowded that the doors couldn't even open. Even if they waited for the next bus, not many people could get on. At this moment, if I can help, I definitely will."
According to Master Cai, after the No. 156 bus left, buses from other lines such as No. 168 and No. 132 also stopped to pick up passengers, which allowed all 80 plus passengers to be taken across the bridge within a short 10 minutes.
Xiao Ping, the head of the No. 156 bus fleet, told reporters that the No. 151, No. 168, and No. 156 bus lines all belong to the Nanjing Bus Corporation and are managed by the Jiangbei Passenger Transport Department, "Although the team's rule is that when a vehicle from our line breaks down, we send a vehicle from the same line to transfer the passengers, other lines do not have the responsibility to take passengers, but we encourage everyone to help as much as possible."
Is doing such "good deeds" risky?
Despite having done such good deeds over 20 times, Mr. Ye is still very worried about being mistaken for an unlicensed taxi. Mr. Ye admitted that before deciding to take people yesterday, he observed for a long time through the rearview mirror, worrying about personnel from the passenger management department, "I worried for a long time, fearing encountering 'fishing law enforcement'." Regarding this, Sun, the director of the Publicity Department of the Nanjing Transportation Bureau's Operation Management Office, told reporters that as long as no fees are charged and there is no interest relationship between both parties, it does not count as illegal operation.
So, would Mr. Ye's kind behavior pose any risks? Lawyer Yang Chaojiang from Jiangsu Ningchen Law Firm stated that although the legal relationship between the driver and the co-passenger falls under "benevolent ride-along," if an accident occurs, the driver would bear primary responsibility. However, private cars are not operational vehicles, and the driving experience requirements for drivers differ from those of operational vehicle drivers. Individuals voluntarily choosing this method should foresee the risks and thus also bear the responsibilities. Due to the driver's kindness and being unpaid, the law generally tends to reduce the driver's responsibility.
"Bus drivers perform official duties, whether or not to take passengers needs to follow unified instructions from the fleet, and it is inappropriate for drivers to carry passengers based on personal feelings. Once an accident happens, the law will not mitigate the responsibility of the 'kind-hearted' driver," said Yang Chaojiang.
Passengers who were "taken a section"
Please call 96060
"Our three passengers could only thank this car owner in our hearts... Therefore, we specially commend him. We deeply feel that the quality of Nanjing people is still high, there are still many good-hearted people in this society," said three passengers in the post yesterday afternoon. However, the reporter failed to contact the poster by calling the number. It is believed that those who rode in the other few private cars and those who boarded the No. 156, No. 168, etc., buses, have the same gratitude as this passenger inside. If you were also a passenger on the No. 151 bus at that time and were taken across the bridge by kind-hearted Nanjing citizens, please call our hotline 96060. Share to: Welcome to comment I want to comment Weibo recommendation | Today's Weibo hot topics (Editor: SN021)