Taxi driver returns B1.2m to tourist

[Thaivisa News]

Bangkok:- A Thai taxi driver has returned more than Bt1.2 million in cash to his Japanese passenger.

Pratuan Muanroong, 52, was thus rewarded with 200,000 Japanese yen (about Bt54,000) on Tuesday.

“Had I not got the money and my bag back, I would have been in trouble,” Watanabe Tetsuro said as he handed the cash reward to the honest taxi driver. The Japanese man came to Thailand not just for sightseeing but also for root-canal treatment.

Tetsuro hailed Pratuan’s cab at the Suvarnabhumi Airport early Monday for a ride to Soi Thaniya. When he reached his destination, he did not have Thai-baht currency to pay Pratuan. He thus rushed out of the vehicle to exchange bills. When he came back to pay the fare, he completely forgot that his bag was still in the cab.

“We couldn’t communicate efficiently. After he paid the fare and headed to a convenience store nearby, I waited for him for about 15 minutes. He didn’t come back though,” Pratuan said.

Another passenger hailed Pratuan and he decided to go ahead. The taxi driver did come back to the Soi Thaniya again to check if Tetsuro was around. But the Japanese man was nowhere to be seen.

“So, I checked his bag and was shocked to find what’s inside,” Pratuan said. In addition to the huge amount of cash, the bag contains some medicines too.

The taxi driver then decided to contact FM91 Traffic Pro radio station asking it to help locate the Japanese passenger.

Thanks to some documents inside the bag, Tetsuro could be located. The radio station then arranged a meeting between the two on Tuesday to hand over the bag, documents and cash, back to the Japanese man.

[djjamie]

Great story.

I left my mac laptop and passport in a taxi once when he dropped me off at a hotel in Bangkok. Waited for an hour to see if the taxi would return and he didn't.

I went back to the airport as they have CCTV cameras and I spoke to the tourist police in the airport who rang the hotel. The lady at reception said the taxi man dropped the laptop off 5 minutes after I left for the airport.

I returned hoping he would be there so I could reward him, but he left.

Like police there are also some very good honest taxi drivers.

Well done to this one.

[Robby nz]

Mrs told me this morning of a friend of here who left her I phone in one of the crash master vans yesterday.

Was returned to her this morning by the driver.

Must be that Thainess thing we see posted so often on here.

[Costas2008]

Shortage of news?

That was on yesterday

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/807378-thai-taxi-driver-returns-47-million-yen-to-japanese-tourist/

[dragonfly94]

at least the driver got a good reward for once

[doremifasol]

Over the years I left my phone (twice) and my camera in a taxi,

I got back my stuff on all occasions.

Two weeks a go left a large bag of vegetables in a taxi and got it back!!!!!

There are good, honest taxi drivers here in Thailand plus my smile works wonders

[falang07]

Wow! It seems root-canal treatmentt is quite expensive in Thailand these days...

[rakman]

Bravo to the taxi driver. There is hope.

[FangFerang]

I think that the BMA should award a special "gold plaque" for this kind of behavior, so the driver could have it in the cab beside his license.

If I saw that when I was riding, he would get a fat gratuity.

[mitsubishi]

Mrs told me this morning of a friend of here who left her I phone in one of the crash master vans yesterday.

Was returned to her this morning by the driver.

Must be that Thainess thing we see posted so often on here.

I left my passport in a taxi once down in Phuket. It was Sonkhran and the middle of Patong area!

The taxi man drove all the way back, took him about 8 hours through the traffic. He wouldn't accept any money either!!!

Amazing Thailand! This was in 2001 IIRC.