Cab driver was laid off from tech, now earns Rs 1.2 lakh a month. He said, 'Rs 40,000 job was just a side income'

A casual conversation with a cab driver during a traffic jam turned into an unexpected lesson about income and financial security. Pratham, a social media user, shared how he initially assumed the driver was managing his family on a Rs 40,000 monthly income after being laid off from a tech company. But the driver's actual financial picture was very different. He owned two properties that generated rental income, making his cab-driving earnings only one part of his monthly cash flow.

Pratham took to X to share the conversation he had with a cab driver during a particularly heavy traffic jam. He began by asking whether the driver worked full-time or part-time. The driver explained that he drove full-time and had recently been laid off from a tech company.

Pratham then asked about his family. The driver said he was married and had two children. That prompted Pratham to ask how he managed his expenses on a monthly income of Rs 40,000. The driver's response completely changed the conversation.

‘It’s not Rs 40,000’

According to Pratham, the driver smiled and told him that his income was not simply Rs 40,000. The driver explained that he owned an ancestral property as well as a flat he had purchased himself. Together, the two properties generated around Rs 80,000 in monthly rent. That meant his monthly cash flow looked very different from what Pratham had initially assumed.

- Cab driving: Rs 40,000 a month
- Rental income: Rs 80,000 a month
- Total monthly income: Rs 1.2 lakh

The Rs 40,000 earned from driving was therefore only one component of his overall income.

Layoff changed his work, not his income

The driver's story also highlights how a job loss does not necessarily mean the loss of every source of income. Although he had been laid off from a tech company, he had income-producing assets that continued generating money. His two properties provided around Rs 80,000 in rent every month, while driving a cab brought in another Rs 40,000.

His Rs 40,000 income was only the side income

The striking part of the conversation was that the cab-driving income, despite being his active source of earnings, represented only a third of his reported monthly income. His rental properties generated twice as much as his driving work.

Pratham's post highlighted the contrast between what someone earns from their job or daily work and what they may earn from assets. In this case, the driver's Rs 40,000 monthly cab income was effectively his side income, while his properties brought in Rs 80,000 without requiring him to work additional hours for that rental revenue.

Internet reacts

A user reacted, "True financial freedom isn't about the size of your paycheck, but the strength of your passive income assets." One commented, "most of us are busy judging the car, while some people are quietly collecting rent from two properties. Respect to every underrated hustler out there." Another added, "Lots of people are out there in city looking ordinary doing menial job, not wearing fit and sharp dress... Look like living without an ambition or goal actually manage more assets than what many good looking modern hi-fi corporate employees could earn in their lifetime."