‘Heroic’ bus driver from Toronto stops to save human life

A Toronto bus driver who has worked for less than six months is credited with saving a man’s life.

Reanna Bourque, who joined the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in October 2021, was driving the 134 Progress bus in Scarborough on March 6 around 11:00 a.m. when she noticed “someone in need.. “

“As I got closer, the person was actually trying to get a little bit closer to my bus in the lane, so I actually had to stop and secure my bus,” she recalled.

“Something just wholeheartedly did not feel right, and something, whatever it was, forced me to get off the bus and just talk to this person just to see what was going on,” she added.

Bourque says it was a combination of TTC defensive driving training, past experience and instinct that prepared her for that Sunday shift.

“About six or seven years ago, I had a dear friend who was almost like a brother to me, who tried the same thing, if you will, and who unfortunately did not succeed in helping anyone,” she said.

“I just felt like something was not right, something was wrong, and I needed to help this person.”

Bourque informed the transit control, safely pulled the bus over to the side of the bridge and came out to go and talk to the man.

“Just to be able to say, like, ‘Let’s get you help, I would love to get you some help’, that was exactly what I said to him, I wanted him to know I was there for him, “she remembered.

The Toronto Transit Commission calls Bourque’s actions “heroic.”

“Her actions saved a life, and it is something that cannot be forgotten,” TTC noted in a statement to Global News.

Bourque physically held on to the man with the help of three of her clients until first aiders arrived to take care of him.

She said she hopes others will consider helping a stranger if they also notice someone in a difficult situation.

“Of course you do not have to get involved in any type of situation, but do not overlook it … you never know what someone is going through and it does not hurt to say, ‘How are you, I can help you, there is something , I can do for you, ‘it does not hurt to say that,’ ‘she said.

Bourque has reached out for support through TTC and from his fiance, who also happens to work as a TTC operator.

“I get the help I need to get myself mentally and again, get back to work and do what I’m best at – driving the bus.”

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