Traumatic event becomes a heartwarming one, thanks to the work of both driver and passengers.

Just the other day, our reporter Masanuki Sunakoma was on a highway bus in Tokyo when it became involved in an accident. Thankfully, it wasn’t a major incident, just a minor collision with a car in which no one was injured, and sitting on a backseat with his earphones in, Masanuki didn’t even realise what had happened until the bus pulled over. However, the events that unfolded as a result of the accident left a lasting impression on him and the other passengers.

The incident occurred just 20 minutes after they’d left the bus terminal, and the first thing the driver did after parking the bus safely on the roadside was express his shock and surprise to everyone over the microphone, saying: “I’ve been a bus driver for over 10 years, but I’ve never seen anything like this before …”

With his earphones still in, Masanuki could just about hear the driver but was still confused as to what was going on. He recalled hearing exclamations of “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” from the two women sitting in front of him just seconds earlier, but now, upon taking his earphones out and making direct eye contact with the driver, who was asking “Are the passengers in the back okay and unharmed?” he realised that an accident of some type had occurred.

Asking the women in front what had happened, they told him a passenger car had been pulling out when it ended up hitting the left rear-hand side of the bus. That was the side Masanuki was sitting on.

▼ The view from Masanuki’s seat after the bus had stopped.

With so much traffic on the roads in Tokyo, Masanuki had always spared a thought for the big highway buses, so called as they use highway roads unlike regular local buses but don’t have guides on board like tour buses, but he never thought he’d be caught up in an incident on one. Not knowing what to do, he remained calm and waited for instructions, but the driver himself seemed quite flustered, as it was his first time experiencing something like this as well.

After a while, it became clear that they were now waiting for the police to arrive, and the driver asked if anyone was in a hurry. Nobody seemed to mind the inconvenience, and a sense of anticipation rippled through the bus as they waited to find out what would happen next.

As if trying to help fill the time, and let everyone know this wasn’t a regular occurrence, the driver continued speaking through the microphone, saying: “This is the first time in 10 years that I’ve had to call the police.” The driver’s apologetic demeanour and astonishment at what had happened touched everyone on board, with some of the elderly female passengers saying loudly, “The bus isn’t at fault” and “That car crashed into us.”

After waiting on the side of the road for about an hour, another bus arrived, parking itself behind the bus they were on. It seemed that the police investigation at the scene would take some time, so all passengers were asked to transfer to the bus behind them.

▼ The transfer began from the front seats, with everyone alighting from the bus in an orderly fashion. However…

…when the driver checked on the number of passengers, it seemed the new bus didn’t have enough room for everyone.

There were two less seats available on the new bus so the driver asked for two volunteers to stay behind. As Masanuki was at the back of the bus, and effectively one of the last in line, he felt it would be right for him to volunteer. Plus, he was curious to find out what would happen next so he offered to stay back, returning to his seat on the now-empty bus.

Then, for some reason, several older women who’d been on the bus with him also returned. Perhaps they, like Masanuki, wanted to know what would happen next, or maybe they felt a sense of compassion for the driver, but either way, Masanuki and these ladies now had the bus, and the driver, to themselves.

Occupying himself with videos on his smartphone, Masanuki ended up sitting on the bus for an hour and a half until the on-site investigation was complete. Then, the driver returned to the bus and took to the microphone once more.

“Thank you for staying with me today“, “I’ll do my best“, and “I’ll drive us safely to our destination” were some of the words spoken by the driver, who had clearly been affected by the incident. Moreover, he appeared to be touched by the kindness of the passengers who, instead of unleashing their frustrations upon him, expressed compassion for his situation instead.

Throughout it all, the driver showed an impressive amount of professionalism and passion for the job, and his declaration of resolve to do his best by the passengers right to the end melted Masanuki’s heart. It clearly had an affect on his female companions too, who smiled and applauded when the bus took off again, and as they were driven to their final destination, the atmosphere on board was more like a fun sightseeing bus, where warm relationships had formed between driver and passengers.

As they approached their destination, the driver’s announcements became even more heartfelt. “Today was truly…”, “I’ve been driving for 10 years…”, and “I’m speechless…” were some of the phrases he used, and towards the end Masanuki could hear the driver’s voice breaking with emotion, as if he was holding back tears, when he said, “I don’t think I’ll ever forget what happened today“.

Rather than seeming unprofessional, the driver’s overwhelming emotions were a nice departure from Japan’s usually staid, formal interactions, and it worked to deepen Masanuki’s sense of affection for the driver and the company he worked for.

With Masanuki’s heart swelling with a warmth of emotion he didn’t expect to experience on a bus ride, they eventually arrived at their destination. Though it had taken more than twice the usual travel time, Masanuki didn’t mind at all, and it seemed the other passengers on board felt the same way, as they all exchanged warm words when they disembarked, with both the driver and passengers saying “otsukaresama” (“thank you for your hard work“) to each other.

Like comrades who had survived an event together, a strange bond had formed between the passengers, and before he knew it, Masanuki found himself also extending kind words to the driver, thanking him while also commenting on how tough the day must’ve been for him.

The driver appeared to appreciate his words, and the middle-aged women stayed by the bus after disembarking, chatting with the driver and sharing heartwarming words about their impressions of the bus trip.

As Masanuki walked home, he began to feel overwhelmed by emotion himself. Though it had been a tough ordeal for everyone, the events of the day showed him that when everyone works together in times of crisis, you can walk away seeing the best of humanity rather than the worst of it. Patience, kindness and compassion are key virtues that can make a bad situation not just bearable but actually memorable, so when people involved in an incident recall what happened, what stays with them isn’t the trauma of the event but the warmth that was shared through human connection.

Photos©SoraNews24
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