Taxi Driver Takes Stranded Student From Italy to Spain - For Free!

This is all heart!

Student Giada Collalto, right, with taxi driver Kepa Amantegi.

(Photo: Twitter screenshot)

In times of turmoil, it is those who show kindness that turn out heroes. It is when everything goes bad that we truly understand the importance of simple things like kindness and humanity. As the world attempts to fight with the novel coronavirus, many people have gone out of their way to help those most in need. Examples of such incidents can be seen across the world. For example, a taxi driver drove an Italian student stranded in Spain to her home country - free of cost! The story has been winning hearts over the internet.

Driver Kepa Amantegi who is 22-year-old, drove Giada Collalto, who is also 22, from Bilbao, Spain all the way to Montebello, near Venice, Italy, crossing over 1500 km. This was a major blessing for Giada who was stuck in Spain after her classes were moved online and both her Spanish roommates left, and she was stranded alone. Collalto had been studying languages within the European exchange program Erasmus in Bilbao since 1 February and had expected to attend university lectures until the end of June.

According to a CNN report, Giada tried to get plane tickets to get home but was denied at the last minute, only to realise she had lost her apartment too. A friend told her about Kepa, who swiftly came to pick her up, hosted her in his family home, then drove her all the way to Italy the next day.

“We called the local authorities and, as incredible as it may seem, we got all the necessary authorizations. I was allowed since I was traveling back home and he, as a taxi driver, was allowed because of his work.”

Giada Collalto

She said that he refused to take any money for his services. Her family was emotional when she finally got home and hosted Kepa for the night. They bid him farewell with a goody-bag filled with wine, grappa and chocolates.

With inputs from CNN.