Cabbie Gets Free Taxi Medallion After Giving 3,500 Rides To Disabled Passengers
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Chicago cabbie with a weak spot for the disabled has won the city's Taxicab Driver Excellence Award, which comes with independence for the driver.
According to the city, David Tuffs worked 343 days last year, providing rides to 3,576 passengers who requested a wheelchair-accessible taxi.
Tuffs said he focuses on the disabled for a simple reason.
"It's really because they can't, and I can," he said.
A resident of Aurora, Tuffs has been driving a taxi for nine years, including three years in Chicago.
The award from the city comes with a coveted taxi medallion. Last month, medallions were selling for up to $270,000; less than the days before rideshare companies like Uber, but still something that will allow Tuffs to become an owner-operator.
"In a blue collar world, not often is there a break like this that a working man can receive," he said.
Without their own medallions, cab drivers must lease their vehicles from taxi companies.
When he wasn't working last year, Tuffs volunteered 62 hours at Misericordia Home, a non-profit serving adults and children with disabilities.
