Ánizs and her owner experienced rare acts of thoughtfulness while traveling on the Szeged–Pécs Volán bus service. Zsuzsa Kollár works at the clinic in Pécs and has an open, active outlook on life: she spends a great deal of time in nature and within the dog-owning community, takes guitar lessons, and engages in sports. This lifestyle requires frequent travel with her guide dog, leading to a wealth of experiences along the way. She shared with us the story about the bus journey on the Volán bus service in early June.

Zsuzsa Kollár and her sister boarded the bus at the Öttömös Dobó farm bus stop near Szeged. Both are visually impaired. Zsuzsa travels with her guide dog, Ánizs, and Éva travels with a white cane. On the Pécs route, the bus driver immediately helped them take their seats and made sure Ánizs could travel as comfortably as possible.

One kindness after another

We waited in town Baja for 10 minutes, the bus driver left the vehicle, and upon returning, to our great surprise, she handed us both a bottle of cold water. This thoughtfulness was very touching for us,” said Éva Kollár.

Upon arriving at the Pécs bus station, the driver asked if there was anything else he could help with. Zsuzsa and Éva thanked him for his kindness and care, as it had made their trip easier. However, the story did not end there.

“While we were exchanging a few words with the bus driver, two employees of the Volán company appeared out of nowhere. They were already waiting for us and helped us get off the bus without problem,” said Zsuzsa Kollár.

After getting off the bus, Zsuzsa said she couldn’t find her guide dog’s box of treats, so the two colleagues immediately got on the bus and checked to see if it had been left there. Since they couldn’t find it, Zsuzsa and her family headed to the parking lot, where a person was already waiting for them. They were just loading their luggage into the car when one of the bus drivers arrived in a hurry, saying they had found the box, so he quickly went looking for them so that Ánizs wouldn’t be left without a treat.

Zsuzsa and Éva send the following message to the aforementioned employees of the Volán company:

“It is rare to encounter such a positive attitude and willingness to help. It was truly heartening to experience that there are people who understand how challenging independent travel can be for anyone living with a disability, and how a little thoughtfulness can make our journeys much easier and far less stressful. We felt it was important to share this positive example, and we hope that more acts of kindness and consideration like this will help make travel easier for both our companions and ourselves in the future. We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to the bus company’s employees mentioned above, including the driver of service 1504/27. Unfortunately, we do not know their names, but we wish them good health and many safe, accident-free journeys.”