Young airline employee Athira Jayan is surprised that her social media post thanking a state transport crew for the concern shown to her has gone viral.

“I am in the habit of congratulating those who do a good job. I just did it again,” Athira said.

The 24-year-old customer service officer at IndigoAir, Kochi, had boarded a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus from Athani, near the Cochin International Airport, after 9.30 pm and got down at the Shankaramangalam stop in Chavara in Kollam district at around 1.30 am on June 2 when the conductor and driver of the bus decided to wait at the deserted place until her brother arrived to pick her up.

“I’ve travelled on this bus several times,But this was the first time the bus had waited to make sure I’m secure. Normally the bus is full. This time wasn’t any different. The staff on board were strangers for me.

“However, as I took a few steps after getting down, I realised that the bus was waiting. The conductor said he can take me to another stop if necessary, but I told him my brother will come soon. The bus waited for 10 minutes, until my younger brother Adarsh came and picked me up.”

The young lady who says she missed a word of gratitude to the helpful staff later posted a note on her Facebook page thanking the staff.

The staff duo Gopakumar and Shyju, both from the Thiruvananthapuram depot, were appreciated by officers and peers across the hierarchy and were also given notes of appreciation by the KSRTC MD Tomin J Thachankary.

After the post went viral on Facebook and the Aanavandi travel blog, netizens are busy sharing similar anecdotes. There is also a demand that the bus be renamed ‘Ponnangala’ meaning ‘Dear Brother’ along the lines of the ‘Changu’ (buddy) bus.