A Veteran Commuted 8 Hours Every Day Via Public Transit. Then, He Was Gifted a Car.

Michael Natale
·2 min read
new car with ribbon on hood
Veteran With 8-Hour Commute Gifted New CarBlend Images - Ned Frisk - Getty Images

  • A U.S. Army veteran was stuck taking public transit for a cumulative 8 hours a day to commute to work.

  • He endured the grueling commute in order to provide for his son's college education.

  • Thanks to some generosity, and the National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides program, Thomas was gifted his own personal vehicle, reducing his commute to an hour each way.

Public transit and rideshare services all offer ways to get around, but in many parts of the country, owning a car can be a life-changing form of autonomy and freedom. That's something a U.S. Army veteran in New Jersey is getting to experience firsthand thanks to the kindness of some generous companies and the community.

As KY3.com reports, "Former Airborne Ranger Lemmuel Thomas used to commute four hours daily each way to keep his full-time job in New Brunswick. He didn’t have a car of his own, so he would take New Jersey Transit or expensive rideshares."

But Thomas will now see his eight-hour, round-trip commute reduced to only an hour each way, thanks to a generous gift by Caliber Collision in Pennington and GEICO, through the National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides program.

family in need presented with car
The National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides program provides refurbished vehicles to those in need. In this image, a 2014 Jeep is being presented to an Orange County family in need in May of 2022.MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images - Getty Images

Thomas has faced financial hardships that necessitated keeping the distant job however possible, as he's helping his son Jordan, a journalism student, cover tuition and other academic expenses.

Of the gift, Thomas said:

"Things like this never happen to me. From the bottom of my heart, I really appreciate it. My day just got a little more fuller. Now, I can move around. I can just have some time for myself and my kids, which I was losing every day."

The National Auto Body Council Recycled Rides program seeks to provide refurbished rides to those desperately in need of their own mode of transportation. To date, they've provided over 3,000 vehicles to struggling citizens across their 17 years of existence, thanks in part to partnerships with insurers, repairers, and others in the auto-collision industry.

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