Translink: Belfast bus driver praised for care home visit detour

A bus driver has said his detour to let a passenger visit her mother in a care home was "just the right thing to do".

Jacqueline Mason had accidentally got on the wrong bus on her way to the home and could have missed her visiting slot.

Driver Alec Bailey said it "hit his heart" when Jacqueline broke down in tears at that prospect.

He told his other passengers he would take a detour to get her as close to the home as possible.

"When the woman said to me she hadn't seen her mum in a long time, it just hit my heart," he said.

"A lot of people have suffered this year and you've seen on the news, people not able to see their mother or their father in the homes and it just struck a chord with me.

"I just said to myself, I have to get this woman as close as I can to that home."

Alec Bailey said Jacqueline's plight struck a chord with him

'He's made my Christmas'

Jacqueline, was due to visit her 79-year-old mother in Bradley Manor nursing home in north Belfast on Wednesday.

Due to coronavirus restrictions, she only had a 30-minute slot to visit her mum.

When she arrived, media crews were there to interview residents and staff as they received the Covid-19 vaccine.

Jacqueline told Sky's Ireland correspondent about the driver's kind gesture and how she wanted to thank him.

But all she knew was that his first name was Alec and that he drove a Translink Metro bus along the 11B route.

"I don't know this side of town at all," she explained.

"He asked people on the bus did they mind if he took a short detour and he took me to the roundabout just at the top here and then I was able to get here on time to see Mummy."

Speaking to BBC News NI on Thursday, Jacqueline said: "I can't get over the other passengers as well, but especially Alec.

"He's made my Christmas and he's made my year, I can't thank him enough."

Jacqueline promised Alec a hug when it is safe

Alec said he had not told anyone about the incident and spent the day worrying about whether the woman had got to see her mum.

It was only later when his daughter showed him the clip of Jacqueline that he was able to see the impact his kind gesture had had.

"My daughter sent me the clip and I looked at it and when I viewed it, I saw how happy the woman was to see her mum.

"The smile and the joy on her face just said it all and I was just so pleased.

"It was just a nice, magical moment. It was just the right thing to do."

Jacqueline's mother Eileen McGrugan was among the residents who were vaccinated at Bradley Manor nursing home

In a statement to BBC News NI, Translink's chief executive Chris Conway said: "I am proud of Alec Bailey for going above and beyond to help Jacqueline.

"Alec exemplifies the spirit and resilience of the Translink team.

"He is a long-serving member of staff who has been working throughout the pandemic, going out of his way to ensure key and essential workers, education and communities stay connected.

"I'm delighted that we were able to help in this case," Mr Conway added.

Jacqueline's story was retweeted by Stormont's Transport Minister Nichola Mallon, and also by her department's official Twitter account, which described it as "a real winter warmer".

Jacqueline's mother, Eileen McGrugan, was among the residents who received their first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on Wednesday.

Mrs McGrugan is a retired care home assistant.

Jacqueline told Sky she was looking forward to being able to hug her mum again soon.