A veteran bus driver who has dedicated three decades to serving passengers in east China's Hangzhou City has waved goodbye to his regular route and started a new chapter in retirement by volunteering as a bicycle mechanic, continuing his story of selfless devotion to the local community.
The 60-year-old driver, Kong Shengdong, completed his last day of work at the end of August, and arrived early in the morning as ever as he sought to tidy up his vehicle for the final time. The bus was packed with passengers who came especially to bid him farewell, with many writing goodbye messages on a blue board that conveyed their best wishes for Kong's life after retirement.
Shortly after 10:00 that morning, Kong completed the final drop-offs along the city's "Route 28", and brought his 27-year tenure behind the wheel to a close.
As he reflected on his long career, which saw him cover more than 850,000 kilometers with no accidents or complaints, Kong couldn't hold back the tears as his last passengers stepped off the bus.
"I'm wistful for many reasons. One is that this is my last day riding the bus, meaning that I can no longer serve passengers. In addition, the local people came here specially for my last route, which also touched me very much," the bus driver said.
Kong started out working as a mechanic and a transport steward, but by far the longest and most defining part of his career was serving as a bus driver.
Taking up the role in 1997, Kong recalled how buses at that time had no air conditioner, no route maps, and no satnav voice guide. To facilitate people's travel, Kong made maps himself showing the station drop-off points and other key transfer information. Ever considerate for his passengers, he also prepared motion sickness medicine, garbage bags and free teas for all those riding onboard.
"There was no air conditioner, not even curtains back then. [When hot weather arrived,] I would wash the bus thoroughly [to cool it down.] When the environment improves, passengers will get happier," said Kong. He also decorated the bus interior with stuffed toys of zodiac animals and bright-colored flowers to delight passengers, making it the most distinctive bus in Hangzhou.
Such was his unwavering commitment to his job, the selfless Kong almost never took the chance to have the traditional Chinese New Year's Eve reunion dinner with his family members, an occasion seen as the most important meal for Chinese families, and instead stayed on duty.
"For every New Year's Eve, I would tell the captain in advance, volunteering to drive the last bus of Route 28. It would be a lie to say that I was not tired at all, but every time I served every passenger well, and received their gratitude, I felt very proud to be a bus driver," he said.
With his long career as a bus driver now coming to an end, Kong has now devoted himself to another job -- offering free bike maintenance and repair services for locals.
He first picked up the skill nearly 40 years ago, after he found no place to repair his punctured tire. Since then, he set up a bike repair station that is open every Saturday evening in all weathers. Kong has earned the respect of locals with his unswerving devotion.
"More than 30 years. It's not easy. It's not just one or two days of work. He's always been there come rain or shine," said a local man.
The inspirational dedication shown by Kong has also rubbed off on others, with more and more young people joining his voluntary repair station. Kong and his team have since offered free services to more than 40,000 bicycles over the years. "As long as I'm alive, I will keep doing it until I can't do it anymore. I feel very happy as a volunteer," said Kong.
Beloved bus driver retires after nearly 30 years behind wheel, starts new chapter as volunteer
