Abhijith N Kolpe
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, May 25: Stories in praise of taxi drivers is a rarity these days. It is not anyone's fault, given that many bad incidents involving taxi drivers have made it to the headlines. But, Kavya Rao, a resident of Ashoknagar here, has a different story to narrate, having experienced a heart-warming gesture by a Ola cab driver Sunil Kumar.

According to her post on Facebook, Kavya Rao had booked a cab from Ola, a taxi aggregator, for her parents to visit a hospital. The fare came up to Rs 140 for the 6 km journey. The payment had to be done by cash, but the driver Sunil refused to take the money. He said that he does not charge people who need to go to hospitals. He refused to take the money from Kavya's parents even after repeated requests.

"Both my parents tried a lot to make him accept payment but he was very adamant. He insisted that dropping people to hospitals was his way of helping the society. Mom asked him to at least take a part of the bill (petrol expenses) but he just refused and left," says Kavya in her Facebook post.

"My parents were stunned and when mom told me this, I was in a shock. In today's day and age when auto drivers start conversation with "200 rupees" or "meter double" and cab drivers cancel bookings just because they don't like the destinations, Sunil is a gem," she adds.

But for the 28-year-old Sunil, this was nothing new. He has been offering this special service for the past 8 months, without seeking any publicity.

When contacted by Daijiworld, Sunil, a resident of Shivanagar in Moodushedde, working in the profession from the past-one-and-a-half years, in all humility dismissed what he has done as nothing great, and said, "Kavya Rao had booked my cab to pick her parents from Ashok Nagar and drop at Mangala Nursing Home in the city. I refused to take money from her parents, as it is my daily routine of not charging passengers who I drive to hospital. I even do not charge a penny for poor people who travel in my cab."

Hard times, particularly the passing away of his mother, taught him a valuable lesson in life.

"I come from a poor family and know the value of money. My mother had to undergo dialysis. I had been in a situation where I had no money. My mother passed away eight months ago. This inspired me to help people. I never expect publicity for helping people," he added.

Kavya Rao's Facebook post has already received over 60,000 likes in two days. The post has been shared by over over 4,500 people, and over 2,700 have commented.

This rare gesture by Sunil Kumar has left many people baffled. Hope, many of the taxi drivers take cue from this and help people in need.