A driver for Peterborough’s biggest bus company has been won praise for his calm and caring approach in helping a passenger who was suffering from a severe panic attack on his bus.

Chris Wootton, from Stagecoach East, was driving when he realised that one of his passengers was having a serious panic attack. He has personal experience, in his family, of such attacks so knew how best to help – attending to the passenger and helping to calm them down.

He immediately made an announcement to the other passengers – who were all very understanding – that the bus would need to wait for a small time, in a safe place, while the situation was resolved. Once the passenger was feeling better, he was able to proceed with the journey.

Chris received a commendation from the passenger and Stagecoach East, along with an Amazon voucher, which was presented by Alex Devonshire, Assistant Operations Manager at Stagecoach East.

Hema Russell, Operations Manager at Stagecoach East in Peterborough, said: “I am so proud of the calm and professional way that Chris dealt with what could have been a very difficult situation; he is hugely deserving of this commendation. He showed a lot of quick thinking to assess what was happening, make sure that all his passengers would be safe and informed about what was going on, and to help his one particular passenger in need.

“It just goes to show that, as people who run local buses, we are very much part of the local communities we serve – because we are from our communities. We always want to show care and support for our customers, and another great example of that is our partnership with Businesses Against Abuse, which means that our buses are safe-spaces, and our drivers will regularly go out of their way to help the most vulnerable members of our society.”

Buses and Businesses Against Abuse (BAA) is a unique partnership between Stagecoach East, the Cambridgeshire Constabulary, and the Cambridge and Peterborough Rape Crisis Centre to tackle Violence Against Women and Girls throughout Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and everywhere that Stagecoach East runs. East’s buses are officially places of refuge for people fearing that they will be subject to abuse or assault, with signage on each bus to show the fact. All drivers are receiving training on how to recognise and help victims. Find out more about BAA here: www.cambs.police.uk/police-forces/cambridgeshire-constabulary/areas/campaigns/campaigns/businesses-against-abuse/

Local bus driver wins recognition for helping passenger through panic attack