A viral video of a Metro Vancouver bus driver has garnered a lot of attention for his well-intentioned actions.
A woman named Lucy posted a video on TikTok Thursday morning of a bus driver picking up and moving a raccoon laying in the middle of the road.
“The bus driver saw this poor raccoon in the road,” says Lucy. “He [stopped] the bus and he put him out of the road. Let’s [trend] this kindness video.”
The video has been viewed more than 170,000 times on TikTok and has more than 15,700 shares.
The clip shows the bus driver, clad in a high-viz vest, walking the motionless raccoon to a grass area and rubbing his chest.
People in the comments are embracing the bus driver, calling him their favourite bus diver and an “angel,” with some people even knowing his specific route (255 Capilano).
“I know this bus driver!!!!,” says one woman. “He drives the 250s and 255 routes. I’ll show him the vid and ask if he got any recognition from TransLink.”
Lucy answered many people’s questions about the raccoon, specifically if was OK. She noted the bus driver called animal rescue.
Glacier Media reached out to TransLink and was told the bus was in fact a West Van Blue Bus, a sub-contractor to TransLink.
In a written statement, a spokesperson from the District of West Vancouver tells Glacier Media that the raccoon is dead.
“The incident has a sad outcome; the raccoon appears to be dead or near death in the video. It did not survive,” writes the spokesperson.
The spokesperson confirms it is a Blue Bus operator moving the injured raccoon off the road.
"Blue Bus operators are committed to the communities they serve and this is an example of one person going over and above,” writes the spokesperson. "And, although there were the best of intentions, the operator put himself in harm’s way to attempt a rescue.”
Adding, that safety of staff and the public is its first priority.
“Promotion of this incident would send a mixed message about safety,” writes the spokesperson.
With files from Brent Richter
