'Not all heroes wear capes': Man praised as 'greatest Uber driver' for helping teen get home

DaVante Williams is being praised for his heroics in getting a teen girl home safely to her parents after being logjammed in traffic for more than five hours on Interstate 95 in Virginia. 

Williams, a 32-year-old part-time Uber driver, told CNN in an interview that once it became evident how bad the traffic had become on a 50-mile backup after a severe winter storm on Jan. 4, his priority became his passenger's safety.

The teen customer was traveling from Union Station in Washington, D.C., to her home Williamsburg, Virginia. She was picked up at 2 a.m. after her train had been canceled multiple times because of the weather. 

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On the car ride, Williams could tell the teen customer was in low spirits. "She's telling me she's OK, but I could hear her on the phone talking to family and friends and I can hear that she's just exhausted, emotional and just tired," he told CNN. 

Williams gave snacks to the teen, but he grew concerned about having enough gas. according to his GPS. He tried to get off the interstate, but police had closed roads because of downed trees and power lines. 

With limited options and it becoming clear that getting her home would take hours, Williams opted to buy a hotel room for the customer for the night with his own money after speaking with her parents. 

"They don't know me, I don't know them, and I get it," he said. "They just want to make sure their child is safe.

"So around about 8:30 (at night the next day), she texted me and said she was safe. She thanked me for everything and her parents had also thanked me, for doing what I did for their daughter because I didn't have to do it."

Uber later reimbursed Williams for the cost of the hotel room and tweeted its praise, "Not all heroes wear capes." 

Social media responses poured in afterward. One user tweeted, "Greatest Uber driver ever."

Williams earned $107 for his trip, but he was able to turn his customer service into a brand new job: He was offered the position as lead driver for the upscale rideshare company Alto, which has branches in Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami and Washington. His responsibilities will be training other drivers in customer service.

Williams' full-time job is as a property manager and real estate agent.