The ability to hang from a ceiling isn’t just useful for superheroes like Spider-Man, it turns out it’s a nice skill to have for bus conductors too.
On Sunday, media company producer Daniel Mark Natividad posted videos on Facebook of a bus conductor collecting fares while holding on for dear life to the vehicle’s overhead railings.
It seriously looks straight out of a Mr. Bean episode, only crazier because this actually happened in real life.
In a Facebook message to Coconuts Manila, Natividad said that the scene happened on Friday, Sept. 21 when he was going home to Quezon City from Makati City. He shared that it was rush hour, which is probably why the bus was so packed.
“Plus, it started to drizzle that’s why passengers really want to go home,” Natividad said.
He shared that a bunch of people forced themselves inside the bus, so the conductor had little choice but to collect fares from above.
Naturally, he was surprised by the site of the bus conductor hanging from the ceiling.
“[I was] in shock. Since that was the first time I saw that kind of bus conductor. Bothered at the same time for his safety and for the people he might hurt as he steps on the headboards,” Natividad said.
And it wasn’t a quick task either. According to him, the conductor was up there for a good 15 minutes.
Natividad said it was really awkward but most of the passengers didn’t mind because they just wanted to get home.
Despite the awkwardness, Natividad said he actually found it quite funny.
“I took the video because it amazed me. That conductor really have (sic) that skill,” he said, laughing.
He shared that people who have seen his video generally had the same reaction but some were also concerned for the conductor’s safety.
Like other modes of public transportation in Manila, buses are notorious for being inefficient and perennially packed.
On Monday, a photo went viral for showing just how packed Manila’s sidewalks can get early in the morning, all because of people waiting to ride buses. Spoiler alert: it was really packed.
Have you had any crazy encounters while commuting in Manila? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @CoconutsManila.
