Deng Lanzhou: the bus driver who has been delivering things for free for 14 years
Every day at 6 am, bus driver Deng Lanfang leaves the home he rents in Dayanwu Village to drive to Wufeng Town. He gets back home at noon, clocking a round trip of 80 kilometers in a morning.
Dayanwu Village is located 1600 meters above sea level in the mountains in Wufeng Tujia Autonomous County. For years, Deng has brought back goods for fellow villagers living along the route with limited mobility – and he does it free of charge.
Deng’s bus route was once the only transport route out of the village.
"I have been driving this road for 14 years," he said. Even at night, he is able to navigate the circuitous road zigzagging through the mountains.
Two hats: driver and delivery man. Since most of the young people have left the village to find work elsewhere, only the elderly live here. Deng brings them what they need.
It takes more than an hour for some elderly people to walk to the spot where Deng parks his bus. So he often drives his bus up into the mountains to brings stuff to their door.
In 2018, feeling that he needed a change and keen to earn more money, Deng decided to go to Yichang. When he joined an online car-hailing service in downtown Yichang, his “delivery service” came to an abrupt end.
But for the next six months, his phone rang off the hook. Villagers who wanted to take a ride or who hoped he could bring them things... Everyone was on the line, asking him when he would come back, and insisting that everyone missed him very much.
Deng also missed the villagers and their easy-going ways. He recalled the villager who walked the mountain road for more than an hour with a big bag on his back – gifts for Deng, to express his gratitude.
In the end, the villagers’ persuasive chat tipped the balance. Deng returned and picked up the bus route again, as well as his side job of “free delivery man” for the villagers.
Since 2008, Deng has delivered more than 100,000 items to the village free of charge.
No wonder that "鄂E22227" is the best-known license plate in the village.
Deng said: "I’m very familiar with this road. As long as there’s a little light from the moon, I can drive all the way."
