Karimul Haque, a tea-garden worker from West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district, turned his motorcycle into a free emergency transport service after losing his mother when timely transportation to a hospital was unavailable. Known as “Bike Ambulance Dada”, Haque began carrying sick and injured people from remote villages to healthcare facilities, often travelling through difficult terrain where conventional ambulances struggled to reach.
Over the years, he has helped thousands of patients across villages in the Dooars region. His extraordinary community service earned him the Padma Shri in 2017 for Social Work. His story has since been documented in a book, featured on television and adapted into the Bengali film Bike Ambulance Dada.
From A Personal Loss To A Promise
For Karimul Haque, the lack of reliable emergency transport was not an abstract rural healthcare problem. It became a deeply personal tragedy when his mother fell seriously ill and he could not arrange timely transportation to hospital.
While accounts differ over the exact year and circumstances of her death, multiple reports agree that the experience stayed with Haque and shaped the work he would dedicate himself to for years. Unable to prevent what happened to his mother, he decided that other families in his community should not face the same helplessness.
His journey began in the tea-garden communities of the Dooars, where poor roads, considerable distances and limited healthcare facilities could make reaching a hospital difficult. For villagers without access to private vehicles or conventional ambulances, even an emergency trip to a healthcare facility could become a race against time.
A Motorcycle Becomes An Ambulance
The turning point reportedly came when one of Haque’s co-workers collapsed while working in a tea garden. With no ambulance readily available, Haque carried the man on his motorcycle and travelled to Jalpaiguri Sadar Hospital, a journey reported to be around 50 kilometres.
The experience showed him that his motorcycle could become more than a means of transport. It could provide a lifeline for people living in communities where emergency services were difficult to access.
Haque began using his motorcycle to transport sick and injured villagers to hospitals and health centres. His service was free, and he continued providing it despite having a modest income as a tea-garden worker.
Earlier reports said Haque earned around ₹4,000 a month and spent a significant portion of his income on fuel and other costs associated with the service. His motorcycle was eventually marked with a red-cross symbol and the word “ambulance”, making it recognisable in the surrounding villages.
A Lifeline For Remote Villages
Haque’s work was particularly significant because of the terrain in which he operated. Reports have described villages around Dhalabari and the wider Dooars region as having difficult roads and limited access to healthcare.
Some earlier reports said around 20 villages depended heavily on his service. Conventional ambulances could struggle with narrow, muddy or damaged roads, while Haque could navigate the terrain on a motorcycle.
His role went beyond simply transporting patients. He received basic medical guidance from doctors and learned first-aid procedures, including wound dressing and other emergency assistance. Reports have also documented his involvement in health camps in tribal areas.
Over the years, he transported thousands of people, including sick villagers, injured people, accident victims and pregnant women. The exact number varies across different periods of reporting, with figures ranging from more than 3,500 patients to over 6,500 in recent accounts.
Rather than describing all of them as lives “saved”, the more accurate description is that Haque helped thousands of people reach medical care when they might otherwise have struggled to do so.
Padma Shri Recognition
Haque’s grassroots service eventually received national recognition. In 2017, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri in the field of Social Work.
The official Padma Awards material highlighted his transformation of a motorcycle into an ambulance and his service to people in remote villages. The recognition brought national attention to a man whose work had begun with a simple response to a deeply personal loss.
His story later appeared in the book Bike Ambulance Dada: The Inspiring Story of Karimul Hak, The Man Who Saved Over 4000 Lives, written by journalist Biswajit Jha. He also appeared on Kaun Banega Crorepati 12 in a Karamveer episode alongside actor Sonu Sood, further introducing his work to audiences across India.
A Story That Continues
Haque’s life has also inspired the Bengali biographical film Bike Ambulance Dada, with actor Dev portraying him. The film brings his journey from a tea-garden worker to a nationally recognised humanitarian to the screen.
In January 2026, Haque himself faced a serious health crisis and underwent a pacemaker implantation after being diagnosed with a cardiac problem. Dev reportedly visited him during his treatment.
Yet the central message of Haque’s story remains unchanged. He did not begin his work with an organisation, a large budget or specialised equipment. He began with a motorcycle, a personal loss and the determination to ensure that others did not experience the same helplessness.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Karimul Haque’s story highlights both the power of individual compassion and the challenges that continue to shape healthcare access in rural India. His motorcycle became a lifeline because distance, difficult terrain and limited emergency transport could stand between vulnerable patients and timely medical care.
While his initiative demonstrates how one person can make a meaningful difference, it should not replace the need for dependable public healthcare infrastructure and emergency transport systems.
Haque’s recognition with the Padma Shri is a tribute to his service, but his journey also raises a larger question: no family should have to depend on extraordinary individual sacrifice simply to reach a hospital in an emergency. His story is therefore not only one of compassion, but also a reminder of the importance of making timely healthcare accessible to every community.
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