Inspired by his love for reading and books and his desire to encourage people to take advantage of their time, Muayad Kassem, a taxi driver in the Iraqi city of Basra, launched the “Reading Taxi” initiative whereby a free book is given to every passenger reads in a book for 10 minutes without using smart phone while in the car. The young man aims to maintain his hobby of reading through the initiative.
Kassem, a high school student, was forced to work as a taxi driver to provide for the needs of his eight-member family. He used to carry books to enjoy reading during traffic congestion breaks or while waiting for a customer, before deciding to share his passion for reading with passengers.
The initiative was highly praised by the public and received the attention of the media, prompting a number of Iraqi publishers to support it by offering a number of free versions for distribution to users of “Reading Taxi”. Other drivers have begun to adopt the initiative in their cars, creating a phenomenon that spread not only in the city of Basra, but also in a number of other Iraqi provinces.