Middle School Student Rides Without Bus Card, Repays with '300 Bottles of Drinks'

Thank You Note for Sending 300 Beverage Bottles to the Bus Company

A middle school student who realized only after boarding the bus that they did not have a transportation card faced difficulties but was helped by the bus driver’s kindness and repaid the favor with 300 bottles of beverages.

According to Chuncheon City and Chuncheon Citizen Bus on the 11th, student A boarded bus number 3 at around 10:50 a.m. on the 4th to go to an academy.

Photo by Chuncheon City

After boarding the bus, the student tried several times to tap the card on the fare payment device, but for some reason, it was not recognized that day. Student A later realized that the card they had did not have transportation card functionality.

After a moment of hesitation, the bus driver, Siwon Kim, who was driving at the time, said, “It’s okay,” and “You can just ride.”

Of course, according to regulations, the fare should have been collected via account transfer on the spot or the passenger should have been asked to get off, but Mr. Kim allowed the young student to ride out of consideration.

Grateful for the kindness, the student remembered the bus number and expressed thanks through the Chuncheon Citizen Bus website bulletin board. The student’s parents delivered 300 bottles of vitamin drinks to Chuncheon Citizen Bus.

Mr. Gamsiwon said, “We are thankful for such a big gift over a small matter. We will continue to strive to make buses comfortable for students and the elderly.”

A representative of Chuncheon Citizen Bus said, “We were surprised when 300 bottles of drinks were suddenly delivered,” and added, “All Chuncheon Citizen Bus employees will do their best to ensure citizens’ safe and convenient use of city buses.”