Bus driver sings opera for passengers

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NEW YORK, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- A New York bus driver who took up opera singing about 15 years ago said he has been belting out tunes for passengers on request.

Christopher Dolan, who said he did not discover his singing voice until he was in his 40s, said he started serenading passengers after a regular noticed the sheet music he studies on his breaks and asked him to give her a sample, the New York Daily News reported Monday.

"She loved it," Dolan said. "Now, every time she gets on the bus, she asks, 'What are you going to sing for me today?'"

Since he began singing, Dolan has become a staple performer at events like the Metropolitan Transit Authority's Sept. 11, 2001, memorial ceremony.

"Like many MTA employees, bus operator Dolan commands talents beyond those normally called upon to perform his daily work assignment," MTA spokesman Charles Seaton said. "But aside from his vocal gifts, he has the type of personality and customer relations skills that make one of the city's more demanding jobs seem easy."