For years, an Arkansas man walked 5 miles to work. Then hundreds in his community formed a makeshift rideshare service.
Cabot, Arkansas — Just as the sun begins to set over the Walmart in Cabot, Arkansas, store janitor Bill Moczulewski begins walking to work for his overnight shift. He will trek five miles in each direction, two hours roundtrip, in any weather.
"I don't call out," Moczulewski said. "I want to work."
A couple years ago, Christy Conrad saw Moczulewski out walking and offered him a ride. She got to know him, learning about his daunting daily commute and how he is also legally blind. So, she began driving him whenever she could. At least that's how it started.
"He's going to go to work no matter what," Conrad said. "…I picked him up in nine degrees the other morning."
But she couldn't "always be there," Conrad explained. That's how she started Mr. Bill's Village a couple months ago, a Facebook group that she hoped would help her find just a few volunteers to keep an eye out for Moczulewski when he's walking.
"And within days it exploded," one of the group's member told CBS News.
"Now it's like everyone is competing to give Mr. Bill a ride," said another.
People will often drive down streets looking for Moczulewski.
"Just like, 'Where's Waldo,' but where's Mr. Bill…It's nice to see," Conrad said.
Today, the Facebook group has about 1,500 members. Moczulewski says he almost always gets a ride to work or home.
"There's a lot of good people in this world, all over the place, you know," Moczulewski said.
Chris Puckett, a local car dealer, wanted to gift Moczulewski a vehicle. But since Moczulewski cannot drive, he handed the car keys to Conrad instead, putting the "car" in "karma."
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Steve Hartman has been a CBS News correspondent since 1998, having served as a part-time correspondent for the previous two years.
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