Fred Bediako had already kissed his wallet — and the $1,500 US cash inside — goodbye.
The Calgary man realized he had misplaced his wallet after reaching for his transfer when transferring buses Monday.
He thought it was gone for good, he told the Calgary Sun.
“They asked me for a transfer, so it was there that I found out I don’t have my wallet,” he said.
“So by that time the bus is already gone, so there is no way I can chase it.”
In a panic, he called Calgary Transit to report the missing money, but in the back of his mind considered it a lost cause.
What's worse, he explained an interview with the Calgary Herald, is that the money didn't even belong to him — he was only doing a favour, sending the money to a friend's mother in Ghana.
“There’s no way I could have told him that I lost that money,” Bediako told the Herald. “No one would return $1,500.”
Lucky for Bediako, Calgary Transit driver Mustaf Gashi found the wallet on his bus and didn't think twice about turning the money in.
“I know his feeling and I thought oh no, the wallet is in great hands and it’s safe hands, but I know he’s going to be very sad for a couple of hours but after he phones the City, he will find out everything is okay," the driver told 660 News.
Bediako was reunited with the money Tuesday afternoon, and had a chance to give the honest bus driver a big hug.
“This gentleman here is my hero,” said Bediako.
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