WOULD you spend your own money to provide good service to your company's customers?
Here's someone who did, even though she makes only about 2,000 yuan ($390) a month.
Other passion Award nominees
Mr Michael Bourke, 45, engineering services manager with Hunter Valley Buses, Australia.
During severe storms that hit Hunter Valley in New South Wales, Mr Bourke continued driving his bus through flooded streets so that stranded commuters could get to shelter.
And when he saw a company bus stuck in mud, he and his wife spent six hours helping the bus driver to dig the vehicle out from the mud pool.
Mr Salehudin Hashim, 41, senior bus captain with SBS Transit.
He treats every passenger like his friend. He once gave his umbrella to a pregnant passenger as it was raining heavily. He also helped a student pay her 55-cent fare when she did not have any money with her. He even handed her a $2 note to tide her over for the rest of the day.
Madam Li Ling Yue, 30, a senior bus captain, went out of the way to give her passengers a good commuting experience in her bus.
She works with Shenyang ComfortDelgro Anyun Bus Co Ltd in Shenyang, China. The company is a subsidiary of Singapore's ComfortDelgro.
When her passengers complained that the seats were hard and cold to the touch during the winter, Madam Li spent about 200 yuan ($39), or 10 per cent of her own monthly salary, to buy cushions for all the 31 seats in her bus.
She also bought a medical kit and placed it on board after passengers complained that the cold, hard seats caused their skin to blister.
It's no surprise that her extraordinary effort made her stand out, and her employer ComfortDelgro reciprocated by giving her its highest service award - the Passion Award - which comes with $5,000 cash, a trophy and a certificate.
She is the overall winner among nominees chosen from the company's subsidiaries in Singapore, China and Australia.
Yesterday, Madam Li received her prize from Mr Lim Swee Say, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office.
In an interview with The New Paper, she said in Mandarin: 'Some people say I'm being stupid by spending my own money. But I feel that there's no need to expect any return once you have given something.
'That the commuters feel welcomed and satisfied with our service is a reward on its own.'
Madam Li, who has been with ComfortDelgro for two-and-a-half years, said: 'I have encountered difficult passengers who scold me, but I have learnt to ignore their words and get on with my job.'
For example, she has encountered intoxicated passengers who hurl abuse at her when she attempts to help them to a seat. She said: 'I feel I should help them to sit down if they're walking unsteadily.'
WORKS ON DAYS OFF
She also takes extra care to ensure that her bus is always smelling fresh, cleaning the cushion covers on her days off, and keeping the floors spick and span.
She said: 'My bus is not air-conditioned, so dust is constantly flying in through the windows. The company has cleaners but they attend to my bus only once, in the mornings.
'Passengers wouldn't want to board a bus if it's too dusty.'
To minimise the discomfort that dust poses to commuters with sinus problems, Madam Li also has tissues on board.
Her sense of comradeship was evident in March last year, when Shenyang was hit by its worst blizzard in 57 years.
Madam Li led a team of female colleagues and spent 30 hours helping their male counterparts shovel snow on the roads, so buses could start plying.
She said: 'It was about minus 10 deg C, but we were more concerned with clearing up the roads. Otherwise, the whole city will not be able to function again.'
As part of her prize, ComfortDelgro also threw in a holiday for Madam Li and her family in Singapore.
Madam Li and her husband, Mr Song Li Cheng, 30, who is also a ComfortDelgro bus driver, met each other while learning driving. They have a 4-year-old daughter.
Mr Song said: 'I've always been encouraged by my wife's dedication. She tells me about what happens on her job every day. We would then discuss how to better serve our commuters. When we return home, I'll also buy cushions for my passengers.'
This article was first published by The New Paper on Mar 29, 2008.
