Bus driver honoured for saving autistic toddler

Summary: OC Transpo driver Mohammed Ghaderi is the 2004 TRANSECURE Employee of the Year

OC Transpo driver Mohammed Ghaderi is the 2004 TRANSECURE Employee
of the Year. He received the award at the fifteenth annual TRANSECURE awards
ceremony this morning, for his role in rescuing an autistic three-year-old
boy.

About 3:30 p.m. on July 4, 2004, Mohammed Ghaderi was driving his bus west
on Beechwood toward Crichton, when he noticed a three-year-old boy standing
on the sidewalk at the corner. The young boy did not have any shoes on and
was rapidly shaking his head back and forth. When Mr. Ghaderi stopped at the
bus stop, the boy darted into the busy four-lane traffic on Beechwood and
sat down in the middle of the street. Mr. Ghaderi got out and directed
traffic around the child, then approached the child and offered him some
water. The child responded by hugging Mr. Ghaderi. He brought the boy back
to the safety of the bus, and contacted OC Transpo Control who called police
and OC Transpo Security. Mr. Ghaderi stayed with the boy on the bus while
police searched the area and eventually located the boy's father. The boy is
autistic and had wandered off, becoming lost.

Mohammed Ghaderi is just one of 13 Transit employees who were honoured for
going above and beyond the call of duty to look out for the safety of the
community, or using their buses to provide a safe haven to persons in
distress.

"The City is very proud of Mohammed Ghaderi and all the OC Transpo employees
who go above and beyond the call of duty to make our community a safer place
to live work and play," said Mayor Bob Chiarelli. "OC Transpo employees are
the eyes and ears of our community. They are often the first to spot fires,
accidents, or notice lost children or seniors. Their quick reaction means
that emergency services can be on the scene within minutes," he added.

Since the program's inception in October 1989, OC Transpo employees have
logged more than 7,000 TRANSECURE calls. Almost 400 calls were recorded in
2004. The TRANSECURE programs' success is due to the employees who go out of
their way to make Ottawa a safe and caring community.

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