59 bus drivers pitch in with emergency medical transport

chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2023-01-04

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Fifty-nine bus drivers in Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province have been trained to drive ambulances as medical emergency calls surge due to the rise of COVID-19 infections.

Daily medical emergency calls have more than doubled to an average of 800 calls with more than 400 ambulance trips dispatched per day, or three times the normal frequency, according to the Taizhou Emergency Rescue Center.

More than 100 bus drivers signed up to help with emergency medical transport following the release of a notice by the Taizhou Public Transport Group on the evening of Dec 27, 2022. 

Fifty-nine drivers were eventually selected to join the city's ambulance fleet a day after they were trained in emergency medical workflow and the use of equipment onboard ambulances.

Apart from operating the ambulance, Feng Yanli, a bus driver with more than 20 years of driving experience, said he had to at times help medical personnel with carrying senior patients as the buildings they live in have no elevators.