FRANKFURT: German passengers were hailed for preventing a disaster at the weekend when they were able to bring a runaway tram to a halt after the driver lost consciousness.

Two male passengers broke down the door to the driver’s cabin after the tram sped past eight stations without stopping in the western city of Bonn late on Saturday night. They found the driver unresponsive in his seat but managed to halt the tram thanks to instructions given to a female passenger who was on the phone throughout with local transport operator SWB.

“They did exactly the right thing in a dangerous situation and possibly saved lives,” mayor Ashok Sridharan told the General-Anzeiger daily. “Something like this should not be allowed to happen,” he added.

The 47-year-old driver was taken to hospital but has since been released.

He remains on sick leave but no further details were given about his medical condition.

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2019