Commuter 'dazed' by helpful SMRT staff
You drop a S$50 note down the escalator of an MRT station. What are the odds of getting it back?
For commuter Nishal John Vethanayagam, it was a mere two hours before the note he considered lost was handed back to him.
According to his Facebook post, the note slipped through his hands while riding the escalator and went between the gaps of the escalator steps and the metal wall on the side.
He decided to lodge a report at the station anyway, but didn't think much of it after getting a non-commital response.
"They noted my name, phone number and my IC, and gave me a very non-committal ‘Can’t make any promises - if we find it, we’ll let you know’."
Very unexpectedly, he received a call upon the retrieval of his note two hours later.
"Now just so we’re all clear on how big a deal this is: to retrieve the $50, they had to stop the escalator, open up each and every stair (in case it was stuck inside any of them), and when they couldn’t find it, then go down to the bottom inside and fetch the $50," he wrote.
Nishal described the entire experience as "surreal" and salutes the efficiency and honesty of the staff at Novena MRT station.
The post received over 6,000 likes and over 1,000 shares at time of publication.
On the SMRT Facebook page, Facebook user Shona Parekh shares, "To add another bouquet - Our dear 20-year old son with special needs had not realised his MRT card was running low. He had $5 cash to do a top-up but the minimum is $10. A counter staff at the Mountbatten station very kindly topped up his card to $10. He had given our son a personal loan when he could have asked him to get a single ticket, but didn't. Grateful for such kind souls. A heartfelt thank you to the kind gentleman!"
Heartwarming tales like these deserve a toast indeed!
