Jacob Brentnall drove to Manchester from his home in Nottingham after midnight when he read about the bombing in the news and on social media.
After giving a young woman a lift across the city he drove a family of three to Leeds, before returning home.
The 21-year-old then turned up for work in Derby despite getting no sleep.
Mr Brentnall said the attack made him feel "sick to my stomach" but it had been heartening to see people pulling together.
"I saw lots of other people tweeting to ask if people needed a place to sleep or anything like that, or if people needed lifts," said Mr Brentnall, who works as an engineer.
"I was under the assumption people would need help and I was in a position to be able to help, I guess it was as simple as that.
"Although something this traumatic has happened, everyone has been capable of pulling together and doing what needs to be done."
He said the family he took to Leeds were visibly "shook up".
"The father said they were out of the immediate area but it was still quite traumatic for them," said Mr Brentnall.
"The mother and daughter were asleep within a couple of minutes and the dad was pale all the way back. He was still in shock.
"They were very grateful and couldn't say thank you enough."
Mr Brentnall also praised the work of the emergency services.
"They were on it straight away," he said.
"Everyone was running away from it but they were running to it. I've got to take my hat off to them."

Betsi Cadwaladr health board has suggested downgrading services at one of the area's three district hospitals due to a staffing shortage.
A legal challenge blocked the plan to downgrade maternity care at Glan Clwyd Hospital in Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire.
That prompted the consultation, which includes a series of public meetings.
Residents are unhappy with the plans, suggesting removing the service at hospitals like Wrexham Maelor and Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor will mean women having to travel further for care.
However, bosses said any changes would be temporary and are needed to ensure the safety of mothers and babies.
A dedicated health board website was launched on Monday to collate public reaction to the options, which also includes retaining all services.
Several public meetings are due to take place in September.

The technology and administration services provider, which employs 300 people in Northern Ireland, has won a government contract worth £500,000.
Its system is designed to help with the recording, planning and scheduling of staff.
The Passport Office has 2,500 employees working from 37 locations across the UK.
The platform will initially be used in Glasgow and then rolled out to the six other Passport Office locations throughout the UK.
Equiniti secured the deal though the government's G-Cloud procurement framework.
Nigel Farr, one of the company's directors, said: "Working patterns have changed dramatically over the last decade and far fewer businesses operate the stereotypical nine-to-five hours."
"Having a time and attendance system that is cloud-based is increasingly becoming essential in order to accommodate anything from flexible working or remote working to job sharing and hot-desking across locations," he added.
"Her Majesty's Passport Office has increased its flexibility and capability to respond to extreme external pressures which have a direct effect on its workforce requirements."

Benjamin Hyland-Ward faces nine counts of fraud by false representation in connection with selling tickets.
The 18-year-old, of Westfield Avenue South, Saltdean, East Sussex, is due to appear before Brighton Magistrates' Court on 24 March.
Hundreds of people were left ticket-less after paying to go to the event last September.
Sussex Police said the charges incorporated all of the reports of money being paid for but no tickets being given.
A man has described how he felt compelled to drive 200 miles in the middle of the night to help people affected by the Manchester attack.
[NEXT_CONCEPT]
A consultation about plans which could see consultant-led maternity care withdrawn from a district hospital in north Wales has begun.
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Belfast-based firm Equiniti has been selected to provide a cloud-based system for the Passport Office.
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A teenager has been charged with selling fake tickets for last year's Bestival on the Isle of Wight.