Local Hero Goes Beyond Call Of Duty As Pasco Bus Driver

PORT RICHEY, FL — When times are tough, heroes emerge. We all know someone who's making a difference right now as we live through unprecedented and changing times.

Here at Patch, we've launched an initiative to help recognize these heroes making a difference in their communities. Together with Ring, we're working to let all your neighbors know about these outstanding people and their stories.

This submission comes from Nadine Elder who nominated Chris Denning.

Who: Chris Denning of Port Richey is a full-time bus drive for the Pasco County Transit System. Originally from England, he will soon become a U.S. citizen. He is a full time driver for Pasco County Public Bus Transportation.

Why: He loves his job of transporting people in the community and goes above and beyond the call of duty to help both passengers and the general public. When Hurricane Irma was threatening the west coast of Florida, Denning picked up men, women and children who were stranded in the storm and made sure they got to hurricane shelters. He once spotted a missing elderly woman on his bus route and pulled over to help get her back home.

He normally arrives at work before his 5 a.m. shift and never calls in sick.

When asked to work longer hours or double shifts at the last minute, he never hesitates to say "yes."

"He is very friendly and helpful, especially to those who are new to the bus system," Elder said. "He is reliable, dependable, honest, trustworthy and has a heart of gold. He has and will always be my hero."

Do you have a local hero you would like us to know about? Share the story here. Read about other heroes from across Florida here.

All photos included in this post are owned by identified third parties who have given Patch the right to use explicitly for the Patch Local Heroes series.