Taxi driver finds bag stuffed with money in cab

Taxi drivers are usually not surprised to find passengers have left things in cabs. But one driver cleaning out the back of his vehicle at the end of a shift was astonished to find somebody had forgotten a laptop case crammed with money.

The Las Vegas cabbie - an Ethiopian immigrant who arrived in the US by winning a chit in a government visa lottery - opened the laptop case to find US$221,000 ($216,500) in bills. 

Adam Woldemarim, who works 12-hour days for $350 a week, checked whether the cab’s earlier shift driver could shed light on the case’s owner, and then turned the cash in at his company’s office, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

The cab company was able to track down the money’s owner - a young man who had won the cash at the Wynn Las Vegas casino and then left it in the taxi on the way to the airport - and called Woldemarin back to base to meet him. The report says the money’s owner gave Woldemarim a grateful hug - and a tip of US $2000 ($1960).

However some of Woldemarin’s friends have told the Review-Journal they consider the tip to be a bit stingy for the safe return of such a large amount of cash – saying that 10 per cent of the winnings, around $20,000 would have been fairer.

What do you think? Was $2000 a fair reward for returing the money, or should it have been more? Or perhaps should the cabbie have just been happy with a thank you and the knowledge he did the right thing? Take our poll at left and let us know what you would have done.