TAXI driver Lim Tian Chye, 62, was going to grab a quick breakfast yesterday morning but decided to give the mats in his taxi a wash first.
When he opened the rear door, a black briefcase fell out. In it were what he thought to be "important" looking documents.
He did not know it then, but aside from the documents, the briefcase contained about $26,000 in US dollars, Malaysian ringgit, Indonesian rupiah and Thai baht.
The CityCab driver immediately called ComfortDelGro to report this. Meanwhile, the owner of the bag, Mr Ibrahim Waheed, 59, a trader in building materials from the Maldives, had reported his loss.
The papers in the bag were drydocking documents, and the cash, school fees for his daughter and two sons, who are studying in private institutions here.
The businessman, who arrived here early yesterday and was picked up by Mr Lim, said: "I didn't get any sleep the night before."
Happy to get his briefcase back, he said: "I feel so lucky to get this back. It shows what an honest taxi driver Mr Lim is."
ComfortDelGro advises passengers to ask for a receipt when they pay their fare as it contains a taxi's licence plate number.
Mr Lim received a $500 reward from the businessman, and will receive the Crystal Award in recognition of his honesty from ComfortDelGro.
