Bus driver celebrated after giving homeless man a coat in the pouring rain

Paul Doyle, who drives the 10H bus in West Belfast, Northern Ireland, said he was a 'bit embarrassed' by the attention

Thousands of people have commended the driver for his actions (Rex features)

A bus driver has been celebrated for stopping in the pouring rain to give a young homeless man a brand new coat.

The actions of TransLink driver Paul Doyle came to light after Anna Marie McDaniel wrote on Facebook after seeing the exchange on Tuesday in West Belfast.

Ms McDaniel, whose Facebook post has been liked more than 60,000 times and shared by thousands, wrote she sees the homeless individual in the same place every day.

On the bus home from university there, absolutely miserable wet and cold night. I get the same bus every Tuesday and...

Posted by AnnaMarie McDaniel on Tuesday, November 10, 2015

“The bus man driving the 10H that I was on stopped the bus beside the man and called him over. He then hands him a big plastic bag and told him that he was hoping to see him today - he'd bought him a winter coat.”

Although the man initially tried to refuse the gift – despite only wearing a t-shirt in the rain – after he accepted, Ms McDaniel said she had “never seen a smile like the one on the homeless man's face.”

Speaking on behalf of Mr Doyle, Michael Dornan, a Metro bus driver who represents the union Unite, said the driver was “a bit embarrassed” at all the attention.

“He's done it because of his sympathy towards this young lad who he had seen every day and the frail state he was in.”

“'He is very humble and he is taken aback by the amount of people who have responded to it,” Mr Dornan told the Mail Online. He added Mr Doyle had also given the man food and a small amount of money.

Ms McDaniel said the driver had told her he often sees the man and last Monday had witnessed him standing in the pouring rain, wearing only a t-shirt. She told ITV it was the “sweetest thing” she had seen, and added:

"Before I got off the bus I wished him good luck and told him that good things would come to him."

The travel company commended the driver for his "act of kindness for someone in need."