Taxi Theme with Passengerzager/Getty Images/iStockphoto
A stressful start to a vacation ended happily for a Saskatoon man thanks to an honest tax driver.
John Bowden left more than $1,000 cash in a cab last month when he was dropped off at the airport, but he didn't realize it until he was in Calgary about to board a flight to Mexico.
Bowden received a voicemail the next day from cab driver Kalim Khan.
Khan said he immediately contacted Bowden when he noticed the bag full of cash in the back seat of his cab.
He told Bowden he had his money and would hold it for him until he got back from vacation.
Khan, who is 37, personally dropped the cash off at Bowden's home when he returned.
"I tried to call him back, but the phone was not responding," Khan recalled of the moment he found the money. "I dropped him a message. I was really in a shocking position [and wondering] how is this guy going to enjoy his trip?
"I was thinking this would be a miserable situation for them."
Khan said he didn't think twice about returning the money. Many other Saskatoon taxi drivers would have done the same thing, he said.
"Even if it is a penny that belongs to somebody or 25 cents, give them back. That is your responsibility. If you are not giving them back, you are not honest to yourself and not honest to your society."
Bowden offered Khan a $150 reward. Khan said he initially refused, but later told Bowden he would accept it and hang it on his wall as an "award."
The best part about the potentially disastrous situation, said Khan, is that an unexpected friendship has developed. The two men text back and forth, and Bowden always requests Khan when he calls for a cab.