The bus driver who helped out a woman in distress says he hasn’t slept in two days due to all the attention he’s received for his act of kindness.



“It’s my family, my friends and Facebook posts and ding ding ding on my phone. I had to shut my phone off this morning just to stop it from dinging,” said Dan Stoddard, the OC Transpo bus driver who helped out a distraught woman early Wednesday morning.



Stoddard was heading east on Katimavik Road at around 1 a.m. when he stopped after seeing a woman on the roadside whom he described as “visibly upset.” He persuaded her to come onto the bus.



“She proceeded to tell me there was a verbal and physical altercation … and that’s why she wanted police,” Stoddard said Thursday.



At that point, Stoddard called his control officer, who instructed him to wait for police at the Eagleson Road Park and Ride in Kanata.



“From there it was just comforting her and listening to her talk. Just being a human,” Stoddard said.



Seated in the rear of the bus was Brendan Fowlie, an Algonquin College student who witnessed the interaction.



“He sat there across from her and kept talking to her and comforting her and making her feel like, ‘Don’t worry, it’s gonna be OK,'” Fowlie said. “He was calm, relaxed, very professional. Like all in a day’s work kind of thing.”



At some point during Stoddard consoling the woman, Fowlie pulled out his cellphone and snapped a picture of the two. Just over an hour later, he posted the photo to Facebook with text describing the events and lauding Stoddard’s actions. Within a few hours, over 1,000 people had shared it.



“I guess it got shared two or three thousand times and that’s good — a lot of people are seeing it,” Fowlie said. “Most of what I see happen with bus drivers is them getting yelled at by people and having to deal with a–holes.”



Despite the praise Stoddard received from family, friends and social media users, he said there was nothing heroic about his actions that night.



“It’s not anything out of the norm. What kind of person am I if I just drive by you and leave you there?” Stoddard said. “It’s something that I would inherently do any time of the day, anywhere, and I’ve done it multiple times.”



Apart from operating vehicles, OC Transpo employees are trained and encouraged to deal with medical and security emergencies similar to that which occurred Wednesday, said Troy Charter, assistant general manager of transit operations, via email.



Operators “are the eyes and ears of the community and look out for the safety of all people.”



OC Transpo has a Transecure program that encourages employees to “respond to safety and security issues like medical emergencies, break-ins, accidents, fires, suspicious situations or any other incidents when someone feels unsafe or threatened.”



“In 2014, 312 Transecure calls were made by OC Transpo employees,” Charter said.



Ottawa police confirmed receiving a call from the Eagleson Park and Ride at 1:22 a.m. involving a female complainant who suffered minor injuries.



“A report has been lodged and we have no arrests and no charges at this time,” Const. Chuck Benoit said, adding that investigations were ongoing.



The OPS described the incident as “domestic” in nature and therefore would not release the identities of persons involved.



