We do not have first-hand experience knowing what it is like being in a wheelchair, but we can imagine that it must make like more complicated than it is for those of us who are able to walk around without assistance. The world is not always made for wheelchairs, and even when there is a ramp instead of stairs, that doesn’t mean that everything is easy to navigate. Opening doors, shopping, driving, everything becomes more complicated.
A man named Francois Le Berre is in a wheelchair. We know this because of a picture he shared of himself on Facebook. In the picture, he is sitting in his wheelchair at a bus stop waiting for the bus. He smiles at the camera.
Along with the picture, Le Berre shared an explanation of what happened while he was at the bus stop. He explained that he was waiting for the bus in Paris. When the bus arrived at the bus stop, the passengers on the bus refused to relocate themselves on the bus to make room for Le Berre and his wheelchair.
Instead of simply driving away and claiming that there wasn’t enough room for Le Berre on the bus, the bus driver did something completely different. He told the passengers to get off the bus. Then, he went over to Le Berre and told him that he and his helper, who happened to be Le Berre’s brother who was waiting with him, could board the bus; however, the rest of the passengers were going to have to wait for the next bus.
In the comments, people raved about the bus driver’s actions writing “bravo” and praising the driver for showing humanity and honor.
The bus driver has chosen to remain anonymous, but Le Berre talked to Huffington Post about the incident. He explained that the passengers on the bus were “grumbling” when the bus driver told them to get off the bus, but the driver also told them the next bus would be by in just five minutes.
When the driver approached Le Berre to tell him he could now board the bus, he also said, “everyone could need one, one day” referring to the possibility that everyone might need a wheelchair someday.
Le Berre, who is in a wheelchair because he has multiple sclerosis, explained that he does not know the bus driver and has not kept in touch with the bus driver. The bus driver shared with Le Berre that he does not have any family members who are disabled. He simply thought it was “necessary to have a little civility.”