When no one stood up on a crowded bus to give a seat to a pregnant woman, an angry driver stopped the bus halfway and threw everyone on board except her. The next day, he was called to the bus station with a life-changing message.
Can you imagine being pregnant and being on public transport with passengers who refuse to give up their seat for you? Well, it happened to Emily Schroeder during her third trimester on a bus ride to her office.
When the 29-year-old from Dresden boarded a fully occupied bus, she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw an empty seat. But here came the twist: a young man pushed his way to this seat, claiming it was his and already occupied.
“Never mind,” Emily sighed softly, wishing someone would get off at the next stop so she could have a seat. But two stops later, still no one had gotten off, and she was still standing.
“That’s enough… Everyone get off the bus!” the driver yelled. “All of you, get out at once… lady, that doesn’t apply to you!”
Emily’s car was in the shop for service, so she had to take this bus to attend an important meeting a little further out of town. Despite being on maternity leave, she had to be present at the event to hand in an important presentation and couldn’t afford to miss it.
Poor Emily, already carrying a bag, was struggling to keep her balance. The bus was overwhelmingly crowded and she collided with passengers as the bus was moving.
“I-I’m sorry,” she apologized each time an angry passenger glared at her after accidentally grazing him.
Exhausted and protective of her baby, Emily looked around to see if anyone was willing to let her sit in their place. But the passengers simply avoided her or pretended they never noticed her. You could tell the poor woman hated the bus ride that day. But she had no choice.
A little over ten minutes later, the driver suddenly slowed down slightly to make room for a vehicle approaching from the opposite side. The bus lurched to a halt, and Emily’s bag brushed lightly over the man occupying the seat next to her.
“Be careful, lady!” he yelled. “Don’t break my head with your bag!”
“I-I’m sorry,” Emily said. She took her bag from one shoulder to drape it over the other. But the bus suddenly moved, and her bag accidentally hit the man in the head again.
At this point the man lost his composure and gave Emily an unfriendly look. “Why don’t you just stay home instead of hitting me with your bag?” he yelled. “Hold back and give me some air to breathe. I’m choking!”
Emily was stunned and embarrassed. She looked around, but no one came to her defense. Instead, they grinned and even laughed at the incident.
Suddenly, the bus pulled to a halt at the side of the road, much to everyone’s dismay.
“What’s going on there?” asked the driver Ralf Müller, turning his attention to the man who had insulted Emily. “I heard you yelling at the poor pregnant woman. Didn’t your mother teach you some respect?”
The man was angry. He looked around and couldn’t digest the fact that several strangers were now staring at him.
“It would be great if someone dumped the poor lady,” said Ralf, “I see you’re sitting in a ‘priority seat’. Why don’t you get up and leave her sitting?” he told the rude man.
At this point, the man was completely lost. He walked up to the driver and yelled at him. “Mind your own business, driver, and don’t tell me what to do. Just watch the steering wheel, okay? Why don’t you let her sit in your seat if it bothers you so much?”
Suddenly more people spoke up and joined the rude man against the driver and Emily. “If she’s pregnant, why did she take a crowded bus?” retorted another man.
“Yes, human. Even I work, and if I gave up my seat, I would have to stand for almost 4 kilometers. No way!” added another.
Ralph was disappointed. He watched Emily look exhausted and worried, but there was nothing he could do to convince the passengers to abandon her. Then an idea struck him.
He switched on the ignition and drove off. The passengers on board sighed when the bus finally moved again, completely ignoring poor Emily.
About five minutes later the bus slowed down and stopped at the next stop. Ralf turned around and saw that nobody got out. The passengers looked at him and waited for him to start the bus again. But instead of doing that, Ralf turned off the ignition and got off the bus, much to her shock.
“That’s enough… Everyone, get off the bus!” the driver yelled. “All of you, get out at once… lady, this doesn’t apply to you!”
“What do you mean get out?” the passengers fumed. “We paid for the tickets.”
“This bus is not going any further. Get out. I’ll only drive when you’ve all got off,” Ralf called, “you can get on the next bus.”
“Next bus? You’re getting fired for doing this to us!” the rude man yelled.
“I do not care. My mother taught me manners and how to be nice to people,” Ralf retorted, “she also taught me to put people in their place… So get out, or I’ll grab your shirt and throw you out.”
With no other choice, the passengers got off one by one, except for Emily. She stayed behind and waited for what Ralf would do next. “Miss, please wait,” the driver waved at her, “I’ll be right back. Please have a seat.”
About five minutes later, Ralf came back with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. “Here these are for you. I am sorry for all the difficulties you had to endure. Please tell me your destination and I will drop you there. The bus is all yours.”
Emily was amazed. She couldn’t believe the friendly driver would risk his job to support her. For the next hour she peacefully enjoyed her ride, talking and laughing with the driver.
Although Ralf was satisfied with his work, he was called to the bus station the next day. He expected to give up his uniform and leave, but then something else happened that brought the friendly driver to tears.
Mr. Müller, did you drop off passengers halfway to help a pregnant woman?” the regional manager of the bus depot in question asked the driver. “Why did you risk your job for a stranger?”
“Well, yes I did. I couldn’t take it that they ignored this pregnant woman. Also, they were rude to her. So I had to step forward,” Ralf said.
“You know you could get fired for that?
“I know, but it could have been anyone other than her. It could have been my wife, my sister or even my daughter. And I can’t stand it when they are insulted or ridiculed in public,” Ralf added. Then he heard loud clapping from behind.
The driver turned and saw Emily with her husband and a few others. It turned out that Emily’s husband, Edward Dietrich, was a newly appointed regional manager of the bus depot. After Emily related the incident, he wanted to meet the driver and thank him.
To add to Ralf’s surprise, he got a bonus and two weeks holiday for a paid holiday with his family in Cape Town. “You deserve it, brother!” Emily said, tearfully patting Ralf on the shoulder.
From that day on, every bus belonging to this depot had seats specifically marked for pregnant women. A slogan “Be kind to and respect pregnant women” was placed above the seat to show passengers the importance of respect and kindness towards pregnant passengers.
What can we learn from this story?
Respect pregnant women and treat them with kindness. The bus driver taught the passengers this important lesson when he stood up for Emily.
If you know something is unfair, take a stand against it. Do the right thing and it will reward you in surprising ways. Seeing how poorly Emily was being treated on board, driver Ralf stopped the bus and pushed everyone out of the bus except her. He knew it would cost him his job, but he still stood up for the pregnant woman. In the end, his kind gesture earned him a pleasant reward.