The little girl was wearing nothing but a jumpsuit as she walked down the street with dolls and stuffed animals.
John Bossuti is the first taxi driver to spot the baby traveling on foot in his brown teddy bear shirt. The scene seemed so surreal that John was sure there must be an adult with her somewhere, but in the end she had to admit the child was alone. After John realizes that something is clearly wrong, he decides to stop and try to talk to the little traveler.
As John stopped his taxi, another driver also stopped his car after spotting the little girl at the same time. It wasn’t long before three taxis arrived on the scene.
John leaned down next to the little girl on the sidewalk and asked her where she was going. The little girl hastened to explain that she had decided to go to her grandmother’s house while her mother slept at home.
To John’s surprise, the child was neither scared nor confused. Instead, she looked like a confident little girl who knew exactly what she was doing and where she was going.
A 24-year-old woman was traveling in one of the parked taxis, and when she saw what was happening she also got out to talk to the baby. The taxi driver suggested that seeing a woman’s face might reassure her that she might miss her mother and that older male drivers might be intimidating.
After calling the police, the taxi drivers placed the child in one of the cars to await the arrival of the authorities. After the police arrived on the scene, they took her back to her mother and called social services who confirmed that he was safe to return for having committed no crime.
Even after the police arrived on the scene, the taxi drivers were not ready to give up their jobs. Instead, they followed police cars to the girl’s home to make sure the child who quickly won their hearts would be fine.
AC Taxis manager Stephen Noikes spoke to Essex Echo to praise the drivers who stopped to check on the little girl and then went the extra mile to ensure she got home safely . He also thanked the passenger who came out to talk to the child and offered her a free taxi ride in the future. Noakes went on to explain that the entire service takes child safety seriously and offers courses that help drivers identify vulnerable children.
We are so happy that our brave taxi drivers care about the safety of those they pass on the street and that they are not so busy with their lives that they are not ready to stop.
