A user on TikTok has gone viral after claiming they along with other passengers were asked to leave a tram because the driver did not want to drive anymore.
In a video with over 2.7 million views, TikTok user Kamila (@kamilakimberlily) shows riders disembarking from a tram.
“When your tram driver tells everyone to get off because he’s stressed and doesn’t want to drive anymore,” writes Kamila in the caption.
@kamilakimberlily it was funny but i hope hes okay though
♬ Goofy Ahh Beat – Obma
This incident actually occurred, as confirmed by Daily Mail Australia. According to author Ben Talintyre, the driver of the Yarra Trams D-class tram asked the passengers to exit as he felt too stressed to safely perform his job.
His decision was met with support from his employer.
“The safety of our staff and passengers is our number one priority – and we’re offering our full support to the driver involved,” a Yarra Trams spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
Operating trams and trains under stress can lead to negative outcomes for drivers and passengers alike. A 2005 article for The Age documented how drivers were reporting increased stress in the workplace due to “pressure to run on time, stretched rosters caused by last year’s train driver shortage and a rise in minor tram crashes,” which came alongside a rise in injury claims from drivers.
A 2021 study from China also put forth the idea that on-the-job stress may be linked to an increase in train crashes.
“Findings from an analysis of 479 railway accidents show that stress was one of the major contributing factors to these accidents,” the study reads.
Similarly, a 1999 study from Sweden found that “stress relating to private life, or as a consequence of delays, was present in 14 per cent of the [studied train] accidents.”
Back on TikTok, users were supportive of the driver’s decision.
“Good for him,” wrote one user. “A king putting his mental health first.”
“Multiple car and plane crashes have happened because people insist theyre fit to operate when theyre not,” added another. “Massive props to this guy for recognizing it.”
“Good for him, better to do that than for something dangerous to happen,” echoed a third. “I have big respect for him.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Kamila via Instagram direct message and Yarra Trams via email.
