A bike taxi driver from Cárdenas, Matanzas, returned a suitcase left behind in his vehicle with all its belongings completely intact, in a story that moved the local community after going viral on social media.
Everything began on Friday, August 14, when a man named Renier got into an electric bicitaxi, featuring a canvas roof and two seats, and placed his suitcase -black, hard, with wheels and practically new- under the seat.
After getting off and paying for the ride in the Ayón and Velázquez area, he walked toward the stop and that's when he realized he had forgotten his luggage. He ran out and shouted to the driver, but the bicitaxi had already taken off.
Inside the suitcase were work equipment and materials, money related to his professional activities, clothing, toiletries, and other personal belongings, all essential for his daily sustenance.
On Saturday, the communicator Christian Arboláez issued an urgent call on Facebook to locate the driver and recover the luggage.
Two days later, he announced the outcome everyone was hoping for: "The suitcase was returned and everything inside was completely intact."
The driver of the bicitaxi turned out to be Edey Antúnez. His wife reached out to Arboláez to explain that connection problems and a lack of battery had prevented them from contacting Renier earlier, but that from the very first moment, they had wanted to reassure him. "She assured that he could be at ease, that the suitcase was intact, and that they are Christians and God-fearing," the post details.
Arboláez took the opportunity of the case resolution to commend the gesture: "I want to publicly thank you for your honesty, because when we often talk about negative things, it’s also fair to acknowledge those who do the right thing."
Electric bicitaxis have become one of the primary means of mobility in response to the collapse of public transportation in Cuba.
In Cárdenas, around 10 electric tricycles for public service have been operating since 2024, part of a provincial program that adds another 15 in the city of Matanzas. In June of this year, private electric tricycles in the province doubled their rates due to high demand, a reflection of a mobility crisis that shows no signs of easing.
The story of Edey Antúnez is not the only one of its kind. Last July, a bicycle taxi driver in Havana went viral for charging elderly people only what they could afford, in another example of solidarity within the sector.
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