A BUS driver has taken a special detour to allow a passenger to see her mum at a care home.
Alex Bailey, 57, has been praised for his gesture after he took the 11B bus off route to make sure Jacqueline Mason could meet her mum.
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The woman had booked a 30-minute visit at the Bradley Manor care home in Belfast – where her mum lives – at 3.30pm.
But at 3.10pm she realised she had boarded the wrong bus and started crying as she was worried she would miss her slot.
Jacqueline, who hadn’t seen her mum in months due to coronavirus restrictions, said: “I started crying, and I said I’m not too sure if I’m on the right bus.”
But after noticing the passenger’s distress, the Translink bus driver decided to take a detour and drop her off near the care home.
He informed the rest of the passengers that on the bus there was a woman who had not seen her mum for a long time and needed help.
Alex – also known as Alec – took the bus off route and dropped off Jacqueline to the care home in time for her visit.
Thanks to the bus driver’s gesture, the woman was finally able to meet her mum Eileen McGrugan, 79, after being apart for months.
The care home resident battled Covid-19 earlier this year and spent two weeks on supplemental oxygen.
She also had a heart attack but survived, Sky News reports.
This week, Eileen became one of the first care home residents in Northern Ireland to receive the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine.
After dropping off Jacqueline near the care home, Alex did not know if she made it on time until his daughter showed him a clip that had gone viral on social media.
The video showed the woman explaining what had happened to her before she was able to meet her mum.
She said: “I started crying. I don’t know this side of town at all – and he asked the people on the bus did they mind if he took a short detour and he took me to the roundabout just at the top here and then I was able to get here on time to see mummy.
“I would like to say thank you very much Alec, you’ve made my day.”
After the clip went viral, a campaign was launched to find the bus driver who had made the special gesture.
When his daughter told Alex he was all over social media, he said his “heart went out to Jacqueline”.
For this reason, he waited until the next junction and made the detour without asking her.
He recalled: “I just said, look I’m going to have to do a slight detour here, there’s a woman on board who hasn’t seen her mum for a long time.”
Alex added: “It was just something I had to do. The way this year has been with people not seeing their mothers and fathers, it just really struck a chord with me.
“I just want to wish Jacqueline and her mum a very happy Christmas.”
Translink Group chief executive Chris Conway said: “I’m proud of Alec for going above and beyond to help Jacqueline.
“He is a long-serving member of staff who has been working throughout the pandemic, going out of his way to ensure key and essential workers, education and communities stay connected.
“I’m delighted that we were able to help in this case. I would also like to thank our passengers on this bus for their support and goodwill.”
