Good Samaritan bus driver saves holiday from becoming a disaster

When a tourist from California left a bag containing her valuables in the back of a public bus during a recent stay, it could have ruined their Caribbean holiday. Thanks to the swift actions of bus drivers and helpful passers-by, however, it turned into a great example of the kindness of strangers.

Paulette Goldstein and her husband had taken the bus from Seven Mile Beach to George Town for a shopping trip but, to her horror, Goldstein later discovered that she had left her ‘fanny pack’ bag containing her driver’s licence, cash and credit cards on her seat.

Flagged down buses

The couple walked back to the bus terminal and flagged down every bus they could see, but no-one had seen the missing item. A passing British resident couple stopped to help for two hours in the Cayman sunshine, helping to ask bus drivers and walking with the couple to the police station to report the loss.

Eventually, said Goldstein, “My husband and I were exhausted and had given up hope of ever finding my lost item. We decided to go back to our hotel and the very nice British couple drove us. I was disheartened, thinking I’d never see my fanny pack and its contents again.”

Thankfully the story has a happy ending. After the couple returned to their hotel from a consolation lunch, they were told that a bus driver had delivered the bag, contents intact.

“It was like a minor miracle,” said Goldstein. “The bus drivers were all so helpful and kind and I was so happy to get my bag back, I hugged it! I’m so thankful to all the people who helped.”

While Goldstein never got the chance to thank the driver personally, she said that she wanted to thank him for taking the time to deliver the bag.

“I just thought that was above and beyond the call of duty, which was very nice,” she said.

Investigations by Compass TV revealed that the elusive bag was returned by bus driver Nigel Hudson, who has driven a public bus in Cayman since 2004. 

“It’s a daily thing for the bus drivers,” he said, adding that it was “a great feeling” to be able to return lost property to its rightful owner.

“You know, sometimes people look down on bus drivers, but there are still honest bus drivers out there,” he said. “I grew up driving so it’s my pleasure to serve the community.”

Added Hudson, “A lot of times we go out of our way to help people get back their stuff… we’ve formed a team so that when we find stuff, we keep it safe until it is returned.”