Cologne: bus driver brings goods to Ukraine and takes out refugees | Regional
Cologne – Even after the flood disaster in July 2021, he lent a hand. And Phillip Imdieke (31) had the same reflex when he saw the pictures of the destroyed Ukrainian cities. “You have to do something,” was his first thought. Then the KVB bus driver got down to business.
At the beginning of March, he learned that a driver was being sought at short notice who could drive a bus loaded with relief supplies to the Polish-Ukrainian border. Imdieke, who has been driving for KVB since 2016 and lives in Langenfeld, got in touch and was on the road three days later. In the meantime, he and friends have founded their own private aid initiative, which has made three trips to the border.
“On the way there, the bus was fully loaded with donated relief supplies,” he says. “On the way back, we always took people with us who had to flee their homeland.”
The courageous Langenfelder and his colleagues have now built up a network in Poland. “This ensures that the relief supplies get to the right places quickly,” he says.
The organization is currently planning the next tour. Phillip Imdieke: “The pictures from the Ukraine moved me very deeply. Completely innocent people lost everything there. I just had to help.”