Making good out of a bad situation

I was on SBS Transit bus service 66 on Tuesday night; it was a free service provided during the train breakdown.

The driver had to repeatedly tell passengers that the ride was free and that they did not need to tap their fare cards.

I decided to help him out and just cried out "free", and everyone boarding understood.

From then on, the driver, too, cried out "free", and that helped ease the flow of passengers on the bus.

As the bus was packed, the driver could not see the back door, so every time he was about to close the door, he would cry out that he was about to do so.

It was nice to hear a chorus of "OK" and whistles from a multiracial crowd each time he did that.

Despite the inconvenience of the breakdown and the discomfort of the crowded bus, we all played our part to try to brighten up the mood and spread goodwill.

We laughed and joked merrily with the friendly driver; strangers chit-chatted with one another and offered what little space there was to those who were boarding.

All this made the ride more pleasant and got people home faster.

Adversity sometimes brings out the best in people.

Susan Tan Chwee Huay (Ms)

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 09, 2015, with the headline Making good out of a bad situation. Subscribe