Bus driver hailed as hero for saving young child wandering alone on busy street

Longtime bus driver’s quick thinking and compassionate instincts praised by many

A quick-thinking bus driver is receiving praise for springing into action after she spotted a young child wandering alone and barefoot in the middle of a busy street in Florida.

Barbara Baker, a driver and grandmother, stopped her bus on Route 12 in Tampa just after 7 a.m. on Aug. 31 to help the child, who was wearing pajamas, according to video posted by the Hillsborough Transit Authority (HART) on Wednesday.

“Oh my God,” Baker can be heard saying in video footage that was taken from inside the bus. “Look at the baby out there by himself.”

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She stopped the bus and hurried out its front door to help the child.

“Come here, baby,” she told the little boy before scooping up the child, who by then had made his way to the side of the road.

Screenshot from bus security footage showing young boy wandering lost in Tampa street, barefoot and in pajamas.

A young boy had walked more than two blocks from his home and was spotted by a veteran bus driver. (Courtesy Hillsborough Area Regional Transit)

The boy was unable to communicate where his home was, so Baker returned to the bus with him in her arms.

“Give me one second, please,” she told the passengers aboard her bus as she called HART operations and waited for the police to come.

“Mama,” the boy can be heard saying in the video. His age was not immediately clear.

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Baker held him on her hip and continued to speak soothingly to him while they waited for help.

After knocking on doors in the neighborhood, police found the mother of the child within 20 minutes of the incident. The family lived 2½ blocks away from where the child was found, according to HART.

Tampa bus driver Barbara Baker seen from behind on bus holding little boy who she saved from wandering along in the street

Barbara Baker, a longtime bus driver, waited with the little boy in her arms until police arrived.  (Courtesy Hillsborough Area Regional Transit)

In an interview with HART following the incident, Baker said her “heart dropped” as soon as she saw the boy in the street.

“When the police came, it’s like I almost wanted to cry because I thought about my grandbabies, and I’m like, ‘Oh, cars [are] passing, and nobody is helping this baby in the road.”

Her “heart dropped” as soon as she saw the boy in the street.

Baker said that just recalling the incident made her emotional.

“But knowing that the baby is home — that’s a big thing for me,” she said.

In the video posted on Facebook, HART lauded Baker, saying, “Transit workers do more than drive — they safeguard the community every mile of the way.”

Barbara Baker, who has worked for the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority since 2012, is being praised for stopping her bus to rescue a little boy wandering a Florida street along, barefoot and in pajamas.

In an interview with HART, Baker said her “heart dropped” when she saw the little boy alone in the street. Social media users have been praising her for her quick thinking and actions.  (Courtesy Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority)

In a statement, HART’s CEO, Scott Drainville, said, “Operator Baker’s courage and attentiveness exemplify the dedication and heart that define our team.”

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Operators are trained to stay vigilant and remain “situationally aware” for lost children, human trafficking and more, according to the agency.

In the interview with HART, Baker said she first started working for the agency in 2005 before leaving to drive trucks. She then returned in 2012, working there for the last 14 years.

Tampa bus driver Barbara Baker carrying lost child as she crosses the street, at left; at right, she is seen from behind holding him on the bus while they waited for police.

A longtime bus driver’s quick thinking and compassionate instincts toward a lost little boy have been praised by many. (Hillsborough Area Regional Transit)