True devotion, some days, is shown not in sitting face-to-face with your revered spiritual saints but by helping those in need. Over 40 taxis are doing just that by providing free rides for devotees attending the month-long Nyingthig Yazhi oral transmission and empowerment. The taxi drivers have volunteered to offer this selfless service to assist those in need, particularly the elderly and individuals living with disabilities.
The volunteers pick up devotees in the morning from their homes and drop them off at Kuenselphodrang. In the following trips, they collect devotees around the Druk School area and transport them to the site until 7 AM.
In the evening, between 5 and 7 PM, they provide transportation back to Druk School and drop off those with disabilities and the elderly at their homes.
Although they aspire to assist as many devotees as possible, it is not without a challenge.
“We have two cards, a taxi card and a volunteer card. When the taxi drivers place their taxi card on the windshield, people from humble backgrounds do not know the difference and end up hitching a ride in taxis with a taxi card and later complain when drivers charge them the taxi fare. However, we find that it was just a taxi using a taxi card, not a volunteer card,” said Thinley Dorji, Taxi Coordinator, Thimphu.
“From our side, we hope that we can help as much as possible. The traffic in the morning is okay, as we can make about six to eight trips. However, because of the traffic jam in the evening, we can only do three trips despite our willingness to do more,” said Wangchuk Dorji, Volunteer Taxi Driver, Thimphu.
For the commuters, the service not only spares them from travelling on foot but also provides financial relief.
“This benefits us devotees a lot. That’s because they get up early in the morning and pick us up and drop us off here. At night, they drop us at our house, which helps humble people like us who do not own a vehicle,” said Rinchen, a Devotee, Thimphu.
“If we go by bus, it costs us Nu 50 and 300 if we reserve a taxi. So, this helps us a lot,” said Ugyen Tenzin, Devotee, Thimphu.
The volunteers started the free taxi service at the start of the sermon and will continue till it ends.
As the sacred teachings continue, these volunteers ensure that no devotee is left behind, helping them stay connected to their spiritual path, one ride at a time.
Singye Dema
Edited by Phub Gyem
