“I wanted to shout out a thank you to this cab driver and I wish him the best”

Photo by PoPville flickr user Casey Labrack

“Dear PoPville,

I just wanted to share a really great experience I had last night that is one of those small gestures that remind you there are really great people in this city.

I hailed a cab to go home last night and when I got in, the cab driver asked if I had cash because his credit reader was broken. My first reaction was extreme skepticism because I’ve had plenty of cab drivers lie to me about their card readers being broken in an attempt to get me to use cash so they don’t pay vendor fees. When I told him I didn’t have cash (I really didn’t), instead of getting frustrated, he said “okay, well I’ll give you a ride anyway.”

I was shocked and asked if he was serious. He said he was and he started driving. He didn’t even turn on the meter. I was so taken aback by his generosity, I said, if we see an ATM on the way, I’d be happy to stop and get some cash. We were about 3/4 of the way to my home when we did come across an ATM. He asked if I still wanted to stop and get some cash because he was fine just taking me home. I asked him to stop and picked up some cash and only then did he turn on the meter.

When we arrived at my home, he was only going to charge me for the last 1/4 of the trip when I had cash and when the meter was running. I was so appreciative that I paid for what would have been the charge for the whole trip and tipped generously on top of that. Such acts of kindness deserve recognition so I wanted to shout out a thank you to this cab driver and I wish him the best.”