Sunday April 2, 2017
A Montreal cabbie did his part to boost Canada’s reputation for good manners, after he found a Californian visitor’s iPhone 7 on the back seat of his taxi and shipped it back to him at his own expense.
After the driver refused to accept a reward from the phone’s owner -- or even let him reimburse the shipping costs -- the U.S. man says he decided to donate $500 to a charity of the taxi driver’s choice.
Alan Applonie says he was racing to the airport to catch an early morning flight when he realized the device was missing. With no idea where to look, he figured the unlocked iPhone 7 was destined for a new home in someone else’s pocket.
But when he walked into his home, his son told him that “Grandma called, and some guy from Montreal says he has your phone,” he said. “I was like, ‘really? Wow.’”
The cab driver who dropped Applonie off at his hotel after a dinner out in Montreal paid to have the phone sent to California by FedEx.
“Of course I offered to pay him for the charges,” said Applonie. “
That’s when things got really weird, because he said, ‘no that’s my gift to you.’”
The selfless driver, who asked to be identified only as Hassan, said he can understand how someone might be tempted to keep such an expensive item.
“Everybody wants a new iPhone right?” he said. “But it would have been a burden on myself if I hadn't returned the item to its rightful owner.”
Applonie said he plans to donate $500 to a charity of Hassan’s choice. Hassan has said he will match whatever donation gets made in his name.