Bus driver's act of kindness helps elderly passenger, 92, cool off in searing heat
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Nevada bus driver, Mike Blair, offered an elderly man a cool water bottle from his lunchbox after he noticed signs of dehydration. (Brent Leabu, Twitter)
Amid sweltering summer heat, a Nevada bus driver’s quick thinking to help an elderly passenger this week was a simple reminder that a little kindness can go a long way.
Bus driver Mike Blair on Monday noticed an older man who looked to be suffering in what he said was about 105-degree heat, when he decided to get out and help, FOX 5 in Las Vegas reported.
"This one gentleman would not board the bus," he told the station. "He seemed like he started to grasp the wall and seemed to be in distress."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After Blair helped him board the bus, he placed the man next to the air conditioner before reaching into his lunch box to offer up a cool bottle of water.
"And I go, 'I gotta do something else and I have a bottle of water in my lunch box.' And I hand him a bottle of water," Blair told the station, as he noticed signs of dehydration.
Another passenger captured the moment and posted a photo to Twitter and Reddit, with the posts quickly gaining attention from local news outlets.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Props to this RTC Southern Nevada bus driver who gave a dehydrated elderly rider a water from his lunch cooler,” a user named Brent Leabu tweeted.
After about 10 minutes, the elderly man was back on his feet and on his way, according to the station.
"He got off the bus and said 'Thank you.' As he got off he said, 'I’m 92 years old.' Simply amazing," Blair said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Blair was not aware that someone documented what he called "just a small act of kindness,” until his employer Keolis, as well as the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) reached out to him, the station reported.
Keolis threw the bus driver a small party, and even framed the photo posted to Twitter for him to have, according to the station.
“I guess I have to learn how to do Twitter, huh?" Blair joked, adding that anyone would’ve done what he did.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Well maybe this will touch people’s hearts so they will do something kind as well," he said
Keolis, which is stocking up its drivers with 10,000 bottles of water this summer, trains its drivers to spot signs of dehydration, according to the station.