Bus driver sparks conversation with quiet passenger and his response changed their lives

On October 13, 2018, Milwaukee bus driver Natalie Barnes noticed a familiar face on her route—a passenger named Richard. She had seen him before, but this time, something was different. Richard was unusually quiet. During her break, he approached her and quietly said, "I am officially homeless now." Those five words would change both their lives.

Surveillance footage from inside the bus captured their interaction. Richard explained that his home had been condemned. When Barnes asked if it was the same house that had previously caught fire, he nodded and said, "I've been out on the streets for a week." Moved by his situation, Barnes offered to buy him a hot meal and let him stay on the bus to keep warm during her shift, according to ABC News.

He declined the meal but stayed on and the video shows Richard riding along quietly in the back of the bus as Barnes covers her route, with passengers coming and going. Barnes did not want the homeless passenger to suffer, especially on a cold night and wanted to help him get a place to sleep. He stayed in the back of the bus for six hours while Barnes continued her route.

In the video, she asked Richard if she could get him food at a store she was going to visit the next day. During her other break, they were seen getting back on the bus with what looked like bags of food. "I don't know what to say but to say thank you," Richard can be heard telling her later. "I'll get it back to you soon."

"I want to help you," Barnes assured him. After their encounter, the two kept in touch. "We talk every couple of days and he thanks me every time he talks to me for helping him," Barnes shared. "He calls me his little guardian angel. I'm happy to say that he's progressing well."

According to USA Today, the driver eventually helped him find housing at a shelter through a local agency, Community Advocates. For her outstanding compassion, they gave her the Service's Excellence Award.

"Natalie's kindness, compassion and respect for this man in need are what MCTS Excellence is all about," said County Executive Chris Abele, according to a press release from the transit service. "Across Milwaukee County, employees are focusing on empowering people and strengthening the community, and we are investing resources throughout the County to reduce homelessness. 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." 

The transit service also pointed out that not only did she help change one man's life, she also showed compassion to other passengers and brought extra peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to hand out to riders who needed a meal. "At some point in our lives, everybody needs help," Barnes said. "I wanted to do what I could to help Richard in some way." She hopes their story will inspire the community to help however they can when it comes to those experiencing homelessness.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on September 12, 2023. It has since been updated.