Taxis are witnesses to the lives of many people. Whether you drive one or hail one, cabs are always a great excuse to share a great story. It’s an undeniable part of their charm! Here are five taxi driver stories that have gone viral.
Lost and found – a taxi driver returns a lost phone
With the rush of getting from one place to another on time, it is not uncommon to leave something behind. In the best of cases, you forget something in your house and you can just return to get it, but what happens when you forget something in a taxi?
Mae Phelps, from Philippines, decided to spend a day in a mall in Davao City with her family. To get there, they took a taxi. After the driver dropped them off at the mall, Mae’s husband noticed his phone wasn’t anywhere to be found. Mae insisted maybe he had left it home, but he was sure he had brought it to Davao City.
He then remembered he had placed it in his lap in the cab and it had probably fell in the hurry to get off the car. The couple tried to reach the phone, but no one answered, the phone just kept ringing. It took several attempts to get a response.
When someone finally picked up, the man on the other side of the line told them he wasn’t sure how to use the phone, so he kept refusing the call. He also explained he was at an office and would return to the mall to give the phone back.
The man with the phone was the cab driver himself! And he did return to the mall looking for the family to return Mae’s husband phone. The driver was offered a reward for his honesty but refused to take it.
The taxi driver, identified as Kuya Bryan, has been praised all over the internet for his great work ethics and for being such an honest citizen.
Taxi driver saves passengers trapped in a bus on fire
Aguek Nyok is another taxi driver who has gone viral for his good deeds. After a man threw an incendiary device at a bus driver in Brisbane, Australia, which killed him instantly, the lives of the remaining passengers were in danger.
Mr. Nyok saw the people inside the bus waving and asking for help. As he got closer, he could hear them asking him to open the door for them. Mr. Nyok didn’t immediately realize what was happening and waited a few seconds as he thought the driver would open the bus door. When that didn’t happen, he realized something must be wrong and decided to act.
He saved the passengers by breaking down the back door of the bus, which allowed them to escape the bus. The cab driver and hero has been recommended for a well-deserved bravery medal as a reward and thank you for his courage and quick thinking.
After saving the lives of 11 passengers, Aguek Nyok went viral and has been praised by people from all around the world. His bravery is certainly worth sharing. Most of all, he is an exemplary citizen and we can all learn from him.
A grumpy taxi driver is taught a lesson that changed his life
Living in a city, especially a big and highly populated one, can be really stressful. We’re always counting the minutes and worried about the next big step in our lives. We also tend to focus on ourselves and our problems, hardly ever thinking about the people we pass by and the difficult situations they might be going through. But when we least expect it, we find ourselves in the right place at the right time.
This is the story of a taxi driver who was angry and wanted to finish his shift as soon as possible. When he arrived to pick up his last passenger of the day, he honked the horn, but no one came out of the apartment. Minutes later, he honked again, but once more there was no reaction.
He decided to get off the car and knock the door. What sounded like an old lady responded she would be out in a minute.
When the door finally opened, the cab driver saw a woman in her 90s, a small suitcase beside her, and an apartment with furniture covered in sheets. There were no decorative items anywhere and there was a box full of glassware, photos, and other things of the sort.
The woman asked the driver to carry her suitcase, which he did. Once they were inside the car, the woman gave him an address and asked him to drive through downtown.
The taxi driver told her it wasn’t the quickest route, to which he replied that she was in no hurry. “I’m on my way to a hospice,” she added. With tears in her eyes, she explained she had no family left and, according to the doctors, she didn’t have very long left.
The cab driver decided to shut off the meter and ask her exactly what route she’d like him to take. They drove through town for nearly two hours. The woman showed him every place that had been of great significance in her life and shared some of her best memories with him. Other times, she would just look at buildings and corners in silence.
When the sun began to set, the woman said she was tired and they could now go to the hospice. As soon as they arrived, two persons came out to help the woman get out. The driver took the suitcase out of the trunk and the woman asked him how much she owed him. “Nothing,” replied the cab driver. The woman said he had to make a living, to which he replied there were other passengers. He then gave her a hug that she responded to with a tight embrace.
Before the driver left, she thanked him for giving her a moment of joy. After leaving her at the hospice, he drove aimlessly for the rest of the day, thinking and reflecting on what had happened.
He kept thinking what would have happened if he had left or if the woman had gotten a driver that refused to drive through downtown. He then realized that this had been the most important thing he had ever done and that the great moments are often the ones that seem small but are actually full of beauty and significance.
A taxi driver offers free rides
A driver from Baguio City, Philippines, has been offering free rides as a yearly tradition. Raymundo Bersalona became viral after a passenger shared her experience and his kindness on Facebook. The woman had taken the cab to go to a terminal and the driver told her she wouldn’t be charged for the service. Her post was shared over 400 times and got more than 4 thousand likes.
Raymundo likes to give back to his community and offering free rides is his way of doing it. He also does it for the glory of God, as a way to give back for all the blessings he has received in his life. Raymundo Bersalona also uses his taxi to offer ambulance services.
A taxi driver gets help from all over the world after going viral
A 72-year-old taxi driver in Manila, who had been driving a cab for nearly 15 years, was about to retire when a young woman changed his life. Louisito was being forced to retire because of his age; many potential passengers ignored him because of it and the bad condition of the car he was driving.
When the woman who would become his last passenger got into the cab, they began to talk. Louisito told her about his retirement and how his last boss had failed to pay for his retirement funds.
He also shared the tragic story of her daughter, who had dropped out of school at 23 because she had gotten pregnant. She had had other three kids, but one of them had died. To top it off, soon after her partner had died, she found out he had been married all along. Louisito’s daughter couldn’t bear all these disappointments and had to be checked into a mental hospital.
The driver told his passenger his daughter was alright and ready to leave the hospital, but his family didn’t have enough money to pay the release fee. This is when the passenger decided to pay a higher fee for the taxi service. She also gave him some food as he hadn’t eaten all day to save money for his daughter’s release.
The passenger shared Louisito’s story online and it went viral with many pledges from all over the world. With the help of many netizens, Louisito could pay for the hospital fee and various everyday items his family needed.
Taxi drivers interact with all kinds of people every day, this gives them the chance to know many stories and contribute to other’s lives. Don’t hesitate and give taxis a chance today! Who knows? Maybe you will be the protagonist of the next taxi story that goes viral! Call 323-780-5939 to hire a cab!
