A Pennsylvania cab driver got the surprise of a lifetime when a passenger tipped him nearly $1,000 for a $4.31 cab ride last month
The anonymous male passenger hopped into Oumar Maiga's Freedom Taxi cab in Old City, Philadelphia, and traveled to an apartment complex less than a mile away, Philly.com reported. When the passenger exited less than a minute later, Maiga was left with a $989.98 tip on a signed credit card receipt.
"I've heard of some large tips before, but nothing this big," Freedom Taxi cofounder Everett Abitbol told Philly.com of the Dec. 13 miracle. "It couldn't have happened to a better guy."
Worried the passenger made a mistake, Freedom Taxi waited a month until the credit card company approved the tip. The transaction went through and the company announced the news Wednesday on Facebook, the website reported.
According to Abitbol, Maiga said the passenger entered his cab sometime after midnight and asked Maiga how his day was.
"A little hectic," Maiga said.
"I'll make it a great night," the passenger replied.
When Maiga saw the receipt, he asked if he meant to leave that amount.
"I know what I did," the man said.
Abitbol told Philly.com that Maiga, who could not be reached for comment, is the "quintessential taxi driver."
The West African native "works six or seven days and is very consistent," Abitbol told Philly.com. "He works very hard to put food on the table for his family and sends a good amount of that money to family that remain overseas."
As for the benevolent passenger, he remains a mystery.
"We've tried to get in touch with him, but the credit card company won't divulge his name," Abitbol said. "The fare was not disputed. That's all they would say."
