An MTA bus driver’s fatherly instincts kicked in early Monday when he helped reunite a 6-year-old girl and her 11-year-old brother with their parents after they boarded his bus in East New York before sunrise, wearing pajamas and shorts.

Marvin McLaurin, a dad of four, told THE CITY he was stunned when he saw the two kids alone at a bus stop near Pennsylvania and Blake avenues as his B83 pulled up just before 5:15 a.m. 

“My first thought was, ‘What are they doing out here this time of the morning?’” said McLaurin, a New York City Transit bus operator since 2017. “And why are they not with anyone and why don’t they have on any coats?”

An NYPD spokesperson said the children were in good condition and that “there does not appear to be any criminality at this time,” after they were reunited with their parents at Brookdale Hospital, where they were evaluated and the istration for Children’s Service was notified.

An ACS spokesperson declined to answer questions about the incident, citing a law that bans them from sharing any case information or even confirming a family’s involvement with the agency. 

The 48-year-old bus operator said the little boy — who had on shorts, socks and rubber slippers — politely asked if he and his little sister could have a ride after boarding the bus without paying, then guided his pajama-clad sibling to the back, where he opened up his bookbag and took out some candy.

McLaurin said he was “very intrigued” and kept an eye on the two while waiting to see if someone was waiting for them at any stop along the B83 route that terminates at the Gateway Center, a Spring Creek shopping complex.

“I wasn’t going to let them off until I knew they were safe,” he said.

‘A Parent First’

Once the bus arrived at the end of the route around 5:30 a.m., McLaurin said he approached the kids and asked where they were headed. Their response: “On an adventure to Target.”

“I said, ‘Target isn’t open this time of morning, so you guys are going to stay with me for a little while because it’s cold outside,’” said McLaurin, who then notified MTA supervisors and Transport Workers Union Local 100 officials.

The bus operator gave the 11-year-old boy a jacket and handed a sweater to his sister.

“I gave her my cell phone so she could watch YouTube videos and I just told them to stay in the front with me where it’s warm,” he said. “They just kept saying they were going on an adventure to Target.”

McLaurin said the kids ditched the coat and sweater and ran to the back of the bus after police arrived.

“They were saying, ‘Why did you call the cops?’” he said. “I told them I didn’t call the cops, I said ‘I called my friend to bring you guys some coats.’”

An MTA spokesperson declined to comment on the incident or what protocol employees are supposed to follow when they encounter children who are lost or riding alone at odd hours.

“He thought as a parent first,” said Javier Oquendo, TWU Local 100 chair for the East New York Depot, where McLaurin is based.

Even after being told that the tots had been released to their parents, the bus operator itted to being concerned for the well-being of the siblings.

“I’m still curious as to whether they are okay,” said McLaurin, whose own four kids range in age from 30 to 9. 

He said he parted nicely with the siblings as they were taken to the hospital to be evaluated.

“The little girl, she waved and the little boy, he smiled,” McLaurin said. “I told him to make sure he always takes care of his little sister.”