2 weeks Ago
A bus driver diverted his route to return an elderly woman to her care home in the early hours of the morning. Dave Langridge, 52, had just started his shift on the number 12 bus route in Seaford when he picked up an unusual passenger. Dave, from Seaford, said an elderly woman was waiting at the Seaford Library bus stop at 5am.
He said: “She thought it was 5pm, she thought it was the afternoon. “She was confused, it seemed like she might have had a bit of dementia. “She boarded the bus.
“I didn’t want to leave her at the bus stop at that time of the morning. “I made sure she was okay, I chatted to her.” Dave worked out that she had come from a care home and tried to phone a taxi for her, although there were none available due to the early hour of the morning.
At this point, Dave decided to take matters into his own hands. “I phoned up my control room”, he said. Dave said he couldn't see himself doing anything other than driving buses (Image: Supplied) “I explained the situation and asked if I could divert the bus and take her home.
“I had other passengers on the bus but I explained what was going on. “I escorted her across the road and walked her to the front door. “Then she went to give me £10, which I of course didn’t accept.
” Dave’s wife, Dominique, said she was extremely proud of her husband, who has also received recognition at work. READ MORE: Son's tribute to last female survivor of WWII campaign who has died aged 100 This month, he was awarded with an all stars award for his compassionate gesture. Dave, who normally works on the number 12 and 14 services, said: “I just feel really happy that our efforts do not go unnoticed.
“There are a lot of people willing to complain. “We do have feelings and hearts at the end of the day. “People think we just sit behind a steering wheel.
There is a lot more to it than that. “I really like my job. “I can’t see myself doing anything else.
” Dave said he followed in the footsteps of his father who worked for Brighton and Hove Buses for 36 years..
