A woman said she was brought to tears after a taxi journey yesterday morning.
Sophie Jones, 23, and her brother Nate, eight, were in a taxi on Sunday when their driver's kindness 'made their day'.
Nate was diagnosed with autism when he was around two and his sister said he ‘absolutely hates taxis’ and often finds them very 'upsetting'.
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Sophie, who lives in Claughton Village, told the ECHO : "When you tell him we are getting a taxi he gets quite stressed and upset and tells me how much he hates taxis.
"While we are in the taxi he'll be saying we need to hurry up and says how much he wants to to out."
However yesterday's trip was a very different experience for the eight-year-old.
Sophie said the two were picked up by a driver called Christopher from Argyle Taxis who instantly put the little boy at ease, making conversation with him and helping him feel as comfortable as possible.
The Wirral woman said: "He spoke to Nate the whole time and Nate felt comfortable enough to have a conversation. He had him smiling and laughing in the taxi.
"Usually during a taxi drive he just wants to get out but this time he was genuinely happy which made me happy too."
When the pair reached their destination, Sophie said what made her experience 'even better' was the driver privately asked her whether Nate was diagnosed with autism and was impressed at how 'amazing' the eight-year-old handles the condition.
Sophie added: “When Nate got out [the driver] asked me if he had autism. I said yeah and then he was saying how amazing Nate is doing and saying his speech is boss.
"Nate said 'bye taxi driver, thank you' where usually he’s just excited to get out the car, so I knew he was happy.
"Nate's mum asked him if he enjoyed that taxi ride and he said 'yeah mum, duh', which means he really enjoyed it and she asked if the taxi driver was nice and he said 'yes mum', which Nate is very straight with you and tells it how it is - if he didn’t like him he would tell you why, when and how."
Sophie said she hopes yesterday's experience will help Nate stop fearing taxis and help him feel less 'stressed' in future.
She added: "[Christopher] made Nate feel more comfortable and less apprehensive now when it comes to taxis so for the alone I am so thankful.
"There’s not many people who are that genuinely kind and who do make an effort so it really did make my day and actually brought tears to my eyes."
Sharing the positive experience on Facebook, Sophie told people about Christopher and asked anyone who might know him to pass on her thanks.
One woman replied: “This is amazing. It makes me so happy knowing there’s lovely people out there who understand.”
And a second commented: “That's awesome. So happy you had such a wonderful experience, some people just don't realise what a difference they make. Christopher is special.”
