These YouTubers Raised Rs 2 Crore For Indian-Origin UK Cab Driver, Here's Why
Yes Theory, a popular YouTube channel, organised a GoFundMe for a black cab driver they met in the UK during an adventure two years ago.
The YouTube community rose to the occasion after popular content creators Yes Theory appealed to their community of 9.5 million subscribers to come out in numbers and support Reg, a UK-based black cab driver, whom they had met on an adventure nearly two years ago. In 24 hours, the YouTube channel reached its GoFundMe goal and raised some more, in what turned out to be a wholesome gift for the Indian-origin Sikh cabbie drowning in debilitating debt. 'My friends, we need your help to free Reg. For the last few weeks, since we finished filming this episode, we have been talking to the loan lenders, trying to find a solution to help him," Thomas and Steffan of Yes Theory said.
But how and where did Yes Theory even meet Reg?
A YouTube collective started by four lads, namely Ammar, Thomas, Derin, and Matt, back in 2015, the motto of Yes Theory is to seek discomfort, spontaneously saying 'yes" to new experiences, and meeting strangers with the philosophy that every stranger is a friend you haven't met yet. That the deepest connections are not made in your comfort zone, their mantra goes. Over the years, Yes Theory has built a community of millions, located in all corners of the world. During his 'Least Travelled Country in the World" expedition, Thomas stumbled upon a Yes Theory subscriber in the island country of Tuvalu with a population of just over 10,000. Confident that their reach was far and wide, the channel set up a GoFundMe page for Reg.
Jab Yeh Theory Met Reg
Uploaded in 2023, the video instantly became their loyal community's favourite upload. Why? Because the taxi driver who said 'yes" to this otherwise ridiculous idea was the warm-hearted, infectiously positive, and instantly likeable Reg. The Sikh cabbie, who has roots in India, welcomed the idea with both arms and set out on an experience of a lifetime. He routinely dropped words of wisdom and captured the trip on his phone, the Reg Cam. When this insane video came to a conclusion, Reg embraced the members of Yes Theory and shed a tear. The audience did too and felt an instant connection with the man on the screen.
Reg Reunites With Yes Theory
With nearly 9 million views clocked on their road trip video with Reg, Yes Theory decided to reunite with the cabbie two years later and reward him with a dream trip to the US.
The dream trip included a yacht escapade in Miami, converting Reg into a Hollywood movie star in a cowboy ranch in Austin, and a helicopter ride in the skies of New York.
During the dream voyage, Reg sat down with Steffan and Thomas and shared a deeply personal part of his life that had been weighing down on him for years. The UK cab driver revealed that he was close to his parents, and when his mother fell sick, he decided to work seven days a week, only to quit it all and spend all his time and energy looking after his ailing parent.
This led to debt piling by the day when he decided to take out a loan two decades ago. Over the years, he has already repaid £90,000. He had borrowed £70,000. Sinking in this quicksand of interest levied on the original loan amount, Reg found himself short of £113,000 before he met the content creators. Realising that Reg and his family were stuck in this debt for, well, virtually forever, Yes Theory handed him a cheque of $10,000 (Rs 8.5 lakh), but it only made a dent in Reg's lifelong loans.
GoFundMe
Yes Theory members then set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for Reg. #FreeReg was their cry for help to their millions of fans. The initial goal was to support the cab driver with £113,000 (Rs 1.2 crore approx). Nearing the original goal in less than 24 hours, Yes Theory decided to raise the target to £150,000 (Rs 1.72 crore approx.) to not only assist Reg to clear out the loans but also bring some breathing space in his life.
'Thank you to ALL OF YOU who made this dream come true. We have now increased the goal to 150,000 pounds to give Reg further breathing room in his life and hopefully avoid working 7 days a week," Yes Theory, the organisers of the fund page, informed.
At the time of writing this, the new target has been breached yet again, and the amount raised currently stands at £183,873 (Rs 2.1 crore approx)
Yes Fam Is All Love
'Reg, you give so fully — your light, your truth, and your courage to say yes every day. I wish I could give more, but this comes from the heart. I hope it brings warmth and strength to help you move forward with hope and peace," a donor wrote.
Those who were in a rough patch in life did not hesitate to empty their pockets either.
'Wish I had more to give to Reg. Going through a pretty tough time myself, but I'm really happy I could at least do something for this gem of a human being. Long live King Reg," wrote another.
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'King Reg, this fundraiser for you truly proves that being kind and goodhearted will bring kind and goodhearted acts towards you. You deserve happiness!" read another donor's comment.
Reg, while living with such incredible debt, offered free London cab rides to people he met during his dream vacation to the US.
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First Published:
May 22, 2025, 14:07 IST
News explainers These YouTubers Raised Rs 2 Crore For Indian-Origin UK Cab Driver, Here's Why
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