Go-Ahead bus captain pays fare for 'literally penniless' commuter who forgot EZ-Link card
A commuter has expressed gratitude to a kind Go-Ahead bus captain who paid her bus fare out of his own pocket.
Stomper Catherine said the incident occurred on Jan 12 at about 5.25pm on bus service 83.
She explained that she was at Punggol Bus Interchange preparing to head home after tutoring when she realised she had forgotten her EZ-Link card, bank card and purse.
"I had left the house via Grab car and only had my phone and work bag with me," she said. "I was literally penniless."
Her situation only dawned on her after she boarded the bus.
"Imagine my horror when I boarded the bus happily, only to realise that I could not pay the bus fare!" the Stomper recalled.
To make matters worse, Catherine had just changed her phone two days earlier and did not have SimplyGo set up yet.
"I wanted to alight but the bus captain asked where I was going. I told him that I would be alighting at the third stop," she said.
The bus captain then paid her fare using his own EZ-Link card.
Catherine said she immediately offered to PayNow him the amount, which she believes was "less than $2", but he declined.
"I insisted a few times but my efforts were futile as he refused to let me have his PayNow details, saying it was just a small amount," she said.
To convey her thanks, Catherine wrote in to Stomp and Go-Ahead to commend the bus captain.
"I also told myself that I will pay it forward," she added.
"This cool-looking abang bus captain made my day."
In response to a Stomp query, a Go-Ahead spokesperson thanked Catherine for sharing the heartwarming encounter.
"It is an ongoing effort to build a more caring and gracious commuting culture, so we are very encouraged to hear about this thoughtful gesture by our bus captains," the spokesperson said.
"We are equally delighted that the commuter took time to appreciate the bus captain's kindness.
"We will be recognising our bus captain for his actions, which reflect the care and consideration we hope to see on our public transport network.
"We would also like to thank the commuter for sharing the positive feedback as it motivates our colleagues as they go about their duties."
