This Man Quits His Engineer Job To Be A Taxi Driver And Has Saved More Than 500 Lives

A man in Bombay is carrying the torch for the kindness of humanity, and he’s doing it in his official capacity as a taxi driver.

Vijay Thakur, who has an inspiring story that was featured on Humans of Bombay’s Facebook page about six months ago, is a 74-year-old taxi driver that is offering free rides to hospitals for the people in his city. While the backstory to his decision to leave his engineering job is heartbreaking, Thakur has made the life-altering decision to alter other people’s lives.

What we love about his story- which you can see above- is that the man holds no anger or resentment for the events that led him on this path. He is at peace with what happened and continues to have compassion for all of his neighbors. We’ve learned a lot from Thakur, including how hard it is to get a taxi in India and how high the miscarriage rates are in his country.

The Cost of Getting a Taxi in India

Getting a taxi in India is a hassle. Everyone, from locals to travelers, is always trying to find a way around the overpriced cab services in the country. It’s so bad apparently, that foreigners give each other advice on how to avoid aggressive taxi drivers when traveling in the region.

As expensive as getting a taxi is for foreigners, it’s even worse for the locals. It’s commonplace for the haggling session for a good price to take longer than the actual ride itself!

Thakur knew that. He also knew that trying to get a taxi in India is rough enough without having a pregnant woman needing to go to the hospital. A lot of women don’t feel comfortable being driven by male taxi drivers, and this has made the call for women taxi drivers an issue in India.

Thakur’s reputation for being a dependable taxi driver has broken through all of that. Now women from all over the city call on him when they need to get to the hospital, bypassing the cost and hassle of trying to flag down a taxi in Bombay.

Countless Lives Saved

Thakur has, to date, saved a reported 500 lives by giving free rides to hospitals, most of them to young families with a pregnant woman. It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?

Take a minute and realize that right now in India, over 30% of women who get pregnant will suffer a spontaneous miscarriage. That’s far higher than the 10% of women worldwide who suffer the same fate.

Thakur and his free rides are helping the women in his city. These free rides, as well as a woman being able to depend on Thakur, has saved countless pregnancies that could have ended in miscarriage.

Not all of his free rides save babies. Some of them save children stricken with disease, young women in car accidents, or young men who’ve stopped breathing. That’s the power of what Thakur does. He offers aid to anyone who requires it.

Vijay Thakur Is A Hero

By showing his passengers the kindness and compassion he didn’t get when he needed it the most, Thakur is proving that humanity is still alive. He continues to give his time and attention to people in need showing them that hope for a better situation is always within reach.

More importantly, Thakur is showing the world that one action, like leaving an engineering job to become a taxi driver can save hundreds of lives.

I think the best thing I learned from Thakur and his story was that it doesn’t matter how much or how little you make as long as you are happy doing it. If you can do that and help people, then you’ve found your dream job.

Find out more about Thakur and his life since the article went viral at The Humans of Bombay Facebook page.

Featured photo credit: Vijay Thakur by Humans of via facebook.com

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