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French taxi driver helps nun who misses critical flight due to strike
‘She told me that it was a miracle,’ the taxi driver says, after he drove almost 600 km one way
A nun who missed her flight - on her way to donate a kidney - because of a taxi strike, has received a free 585 km lift from Nantes in north-west France to Toulouse in the south from a kind taxi driver.
The nun from Lorient was trying to get to the airport in Nantes (Loire-Atlantique) on February 13, but became embroiled in the taxi driver strike, and ended up missing her flight. She was on the way to donate a kidney to her brother in Toulouse (Occitanie).
Upon hearing of her situation, however, one of the taxi drivers, Mounir Jouad, 43, decided to step in.
Rather than taking her to the airport and letting her struggle to get another flight - with even greater delays to her kidney donation operation - he volunteered to drive her the entire 585 km between the two cities. She arrived safely later that day. Her driver returned to Nantes the same night, completing 1,170 km in total.
"I took the road to Toulouse without thinking about it, because her brother was scheduled for surgery,” Mr Jouad told local news France Bleu. “He was waiting for his sister to arrive so that she could donate his kidney. She told me that it was a miracle.”
The other Nantes taxi drivers have now launched a crowdfund in a bid to contribute to Mr Jouad’s journey and fuel costs. Yet, he said: “Even if I don't break even, it doesn't matter. We can do favours from time to time, we're human. Our first mission is to be of service to people.”
Le Figaro - à lire : Une religieuse rate son avion à cause d'une grève : un taxi nantais la conduit jusqu'à Toulouse pour une greffe de rein https://t.co/LxHzwXn1nw
— Stéphane Frappat (@StephaneFrappat) February 16, 2024
"Our strike action has ended on a high note,” said Jérôme Bernouis, president of the chambre professionnelle des artisans taxis en Loire-Atlantique.
Taxi driver unions have been protesting against what they see as unfair competition from ridesharing apps (VTCs), such as Uber. They claim that these companies do not comply with regulations that govern the transport of customers to and from the airport, and are calling for stricter controls on their operation.
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