I want to let the community know about a shining star we have in Prince George Transit driver Brad Engen.
On Saturday, Oct. 24, when driving the late night No. 15 Downtown bus, Brad spotted an intoxicated lady sleeping on the sidewalk on Victoria Street.
It would have been very easy for him to drive right by her, as I don't think anybody else on the bus, including myself, even realized she was there.
However, Brad saw her and knew he couldn't leave her to freeze to death in the cold night air. He stopped the bus, assisted the lady on the bus, and was determined to bring her to a warm shelter.
Nobody on the bus knew where the AWAC shelter was located, but Brad made a point of finding out and then, after dropping off his passenger load, went off route to AWAC where, with the assistance of another passenger, he assisted her off the bus and to the door of the shelter, waiting until somebody answered the door and took over responsibility for the woman, before he returned to the bus and went back on route to continue serving the people of Prince George who needed a safe ride to/from their night-time entertainment.
In all the time he assisted the lady, he never once displayed any prejudice or harsh judgment, but instead displayed only a sincere desire to help a fellow human being.
Many people, including some other bus drivers, would have just left her for the RCMP to deal with and, since they're really busy on Saturday nights, it could have been a long while before they discovered her and took her to the shelter.
This act of kindness and compassion to another human being is something this city, and the world, could use more of.
Kudos to Brad for his actions and a big thank you from another caring citizen.
Corey Walker
Prince George
