US Cabbie Gets $ 1,000 Tip for 2-Minute Drive

A quick chat and a two-minute drive is all it took for an American cab driver to be tipped nearly $1,000.

The customer left a gratuity that nearly made his taxi driver tip over in shock.

A Philadelphia taxi driver received a 22,900% tip of $989.98 on a $4.31 fare that lasted less than two minutes,

The amazing act of generosity happened after 1 a.m. Dec. 13 when the customer hailed a cab on Walnut St. and asked to be taken home a few blocks away.

Oumar Maiga, a night-shift driver from Philadelphia, was so stunned he waited a month for the credit card transaction to clear, convinced the mystery benefactor might claim a mix-up.

Maiga picked up the anonymous passenger and the two struck up a conversation.

The two exchanged pleasantries about the driver's busy schedule in the run up to Christmas and the customer said he knew being a cabbie was a tough job, Abitbol told AFP.

"He said, 'hey, I'm going to take care of you' and when our driver looked down he said 'sir, I think you made a mistake' but he said 'that's what I want to give you, I know what I did'."

Unsure what to do, Maiga immediately called the dispatch center and they told him to relax and save the receipt. The taxi company contacted the credit card company in hopes of reaching the man and verifying the tip, but the financial company would not release his information.

Freedom Taxi went public with the story Wednesday, a month after it happened, in hopes the generous tipper would come forward so he could be properly thanked.

"He should know how much it impacted the driver," Abitbol said. "Driving a cab is a tough job. Every once in a while when someone shows appreciation like this, it's a cool thing."

Abitbol said the tip couldn't have happened to a nicer man, adding that Maiga had been with the company since it opened in 2011.

"He's a family guy, a very, very nice driver," said Abitbol. "You can always rely on him."