Student Catches Newborn as Mother Gives Birth on Bologna Bus

At 8:39 a.m., the driver of a Route 39 bus pulls over on Via Saffi in Bologna. A 38-year-old Nigerian passenger is about to give birth. Maggiore Hospital is just a few dozen metres away, but the baby will not wait until they get there.

The passengers quickly realize what is happening. Three women gather around the expectant mother, joined by Hafida, a 20-year-old student born in Bologna and of Moroccan origin. The driver, Niurka Roman, a Cuban woman employed by the transport company Tper, immediately calls emergency services.

The baby boy is born on the bus. He weighs 3.470 kilos. Hafida catches him and holds him close while the other passengers care for his mother. The driver offers her own scarf to protect the newborn from the cold.

“I caught him and held him in my arms”

A few hours after the unexpected birth, Hafida is still struggling to contain her emotions. Speaking to the Italian newspaper Il Resto del Carlino, she says she witnessed a moment she will never forget.

“It was beautiful. The baby was born on his own, and I caught him and held him in my arms until the doctors arrived,” the young woman says. The medical staff then take over and cut the umbilical cord.

It all happened within minutes. Just 15 minutes passed between the bus stopping and the ambulance leaving. The mother, who speaks only a few words of English, smiles and thanks the women who have just helped her.

Niurka Roman, who has been a driver for three years, says the scene brought back memories of her own childbirth. “An incredible emotion; we all hugged each other,” she says, describing how the passengers sprang into action.

According to the Italian news agency ANSA, Tper publicly congratulated its driver for handling the unusual birth. At Maggiore Hospital, doctors confirmed that the mother and her baby boy were in good health.