Stranger brings 6-year-old home after early bus drop-off near busy road

A 6-year-old girl in Cleveland was dropped off nearly 40 minutes early by her school bus driver and found walking alone near a busy road, according to WBTV, NBC12, and Live 5 WCSC.

The girl was more than 20 minutes early arriving home, which alarmed her mother, Mari Richardson, who was preparing to pick her up at the bus stop. The girl was crying and lost when a stranger, Tiyonna Betts, saw her and brought her home.

Betts asked the girl if she knew where she was going, and the girl said no, explaining the bus driver had dropped her off. Richardson expressed gratitude toward Betts for helping her daughter, noting the girl was scared but able to describe landmarks to get home.

Rightway Transportation, the bus company, confirmed that the driver violated company policy by dropping the child off early without a parent present. The driver has since been disciplined and removed from the route.

Richardson said she no longer trusts the school bus service to transport her daughter and is seeking alternative ways to get her to school. She also expressed concern that the incident was not being taken seriously enough.