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Jayne Arendt-Verhelst is a bus driver on the 54 route in St. Paul, Minnesota. And she’s getting a reputation as a bit of a softy.

First of all, she is one of the friendliest drivers you’ll ever meet. She admitted, “I got a couple of characters on there that I say ‘hi’ to every day.”

In addition, she gives some of her regulars nicknames. One who doesn’t like tornadoes is now called, “Oklahoma.” A man who looks like a member of Motley Crüe earned the name, “Nikki Sixx.” The latest nickname is for a passenger who outed Jayne as too nice. She calls Sarah Seldon “The Narc.”

One Friday Jayne was driving along West 7th when a pedestrian stepped into the street and raised a hand. The bus wasn’t scheduled for a stop, but Jayne pumped the brakes anyway. She wasn’t ready for just how disheveled the woman appeared. Jayne admitted, “She actually looked like she walked off a disaster movie.”

What’s more, the woman wasn’t wearing any shoes. Of course that’s a big “No, no” on the bus.

Sarah Seldon was sitting at the back of the bus watching the interaction. As Jayne began talking to the shoeless woman, Sarah assumed she’d get kicked off. But to her amazement, Jayne said, “Wait, hold on,” turned sideways and took off her own sneakers. Then she gave them to the passenger.

Several stops later, the passenger got off the bus and walked away. In Jayne’s Skechers. Meanwhile, Jayne finished her route in her socks.

Sarah Seldon was so amazed by the interaction that she posted the story to Reddit. The post was flooded with kind words. Eventually, it went completely viral. Jayne jokes that today she can’t drive without being asked “Have you got your shoes on?”

Jayne was worried she’d get in trouble. But instead she’s become an internet celebrity. One of the kindest comments she received came from Sarah Seldon herself. “I hope that, like, just her being seen in that moment eased a little bit of suffering and gave her a little bit of hope…receiving kindness and hope can actually be a thing that propels you towards choosing to get help.” And Sarah would know. Sarah found Jayne’s actions especially inspiring because jsut two months ago she too was homeless.

Now the route 54 passengers have nickname for Jayne too: The happy driver.

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Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari joined MotorBiscuit in 2021 and brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts.

Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. He has since incorporated his love of the written word with his admiration of classic cars. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.