Not Even Death Stops the Amsterdam Trams

The grim determination of one Amsterdam tram driver was starkly demonstrated this week. Alerted that one of his passengers appeared to be dead, he deviated from the usual public transport practice of stopping his vehicle and waiting for the arrival of a team of paramedics who could either confirm the death or apply emergency resuscitation.

Instead, he decided to continue along his route for twenty minutes, as the passenger in question continued to lean motionless against a window with his eyes open. Horrified fellow passengers took matters into their own hands and phoned the emergency services, who managed to catch up to the tram at its destination in Amstelveen. There, the 56 year old passenger was pronounced dead.

It is not known whether earlier attention from medical professionals might have saved the passenger, although they did manage to check-out his OVchipcard.

The driver has been suspended pending an investigation but, to be fair, he is clearly pretty good at sticking to a timetable.