Bus driver checks up on oddly quiet passenger, his response changed their lives

On a chilly night in Wisconsin, October 13, 2018, Natalie Barnes, a Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) driver, was doing her usual route. As she steered the bus through the streets, she noticed a frequent rider, Richard, sitting quietly in the corner, looking unusually somber. Concerned, Natalie kept an eye on him until he approached her with five heartbreaking words. What followed was an act of kindness from Natalie that would change Richard’s life. Their interaction, captured by MCTS’ surveillance camera, was later reported by CNN.

“I am officially homeless now,” the man said as he walked to her. "Why? What happened?" Natalie exclaimed. He revealed that his home was condemned and he had been living on the streets for a week. Disheartened, Natalie offered him some food, which he humbly declined. Then she offered him a place where he could stay warm — the bus. "Well, I'm on this bus 'til 2:44," she can be heard saying in the footage. "You want to stay with me then?"

"Okay," the man responded. Natalie kept driving while the homeless man sat in a corner, and when her shift came to a close, she again offered to buy him food. This time, he agreed. "I don't know what to say, but to say thank you," he told her, "I'll give it back to you,” to which Natalie replied, "No you won't!" She even called a friend of hers and helped Richard by bringing him to a community shelter, where he could work on securing permanent housing.

“At some point in our lives, everybody needs help,” the generous driver said, per CNN. “I wanted to do what I could to help Richard in some way.” Not just food and shelter, Natalie even offered Richard her friendship. She revealed that he often calls her to talk and check in. “He thanks me every time he talks to me for helping him. He calls me his little guardian angel,” she said. “I’m happy to say that he’s progressing well.’

Impressed by Natalie’s kind deed, MCTS executive Chris Abele said, “Natalie demonstrated what we all need to do to fight homelessness: to look out for each other, to care for each other, and to work together. I’m deeply grateful for Natalie’s actions,” per the official MCTS website. For her kind act, she was later honored by Abele with the transit service’s “Excellence Award.” According to a Facebook post by MCTS, she was also awarded the "Brave Hearts Awards" by the American Red Cross of Wisconsin. 

Those five words that Richard spoke to Natalie not only changed his life but also Natalie’s life forever. In the present day, Natalie carries extra peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to share with the riders who may be starving and need a meal, according to the transit service. Her act is a reminder of what the kind act of just one person can do to this world.