TAXI

10 TAXI |22 SEPTEMBER 2015 www.ltda.co.uk | @TheLTDA
NEWS
Homophobic Uber driver probed
Sam and Santiago were abused by an Uber driver
Trade
Two gay men were shouted at and
kicked out of an Uber minicab for
"pecking" each other on the lips.
Sam Simons, 36, claimed he and
friend Santiago Figeuroa were in
the back of the private hire car on
their way home after a night out
when the driver flew into a rage.
The company claims it has
removed the driver from its
app service while it investigates
the incident on Saturday,
September 12.
The pair were minutes into a
journey from Chelsea to Greenwich
when Mr Figeuroa unfastened his
seatbelt and moved closer to his
friend so they could look at photos
on a phone together.
But when the 20-year-old put his
arm around Mr Simons and kissed
him, the driver allegedly flipped,
stopped the car and screamed
"man should not kiss man" several
times before ordering the pair out
the cab.
Mr Simons said: "We didn't get
out and told him to do his job and
take us home but he refused to drive
and kept yelling at us.
"It was not like we were all over
each other. It was just a peck on the
lips and an arm round my shoulder."
He added: “This was
unacceptable. I'm a pretty tough guy.
While this was inappropriate, it
didn't ruin my night, but it did ruin
my friend's night, and I worry about
other people being treated like that."
An Uber spokeswoman said:
"As a company we do not tolerate
any form of discrimination
whatsoever, and we have been in
contact with this rider to offer our
support.
"Uber prides itself on providing
the highest quality, safest and most
convenient service, so we take any
incident where we fall short very
seriously.
"In any incident, such as this, we
suspend the driver in question while
we investigate."
News in brief
Cab stolen during raid
Three people have been
arrested after a London taxi
was stolen during a burglary
in Loughton.
Police were called at around
10.40am on Tuesday, September
8, to the break in, where thieves
had reportedly stolen cash,
jewellery and a cab overnight.
Acting on a tip off, officers
later stopped a taxi at a
roundabout in Harlow at about
1.45pm. Three people made off
from the vehicle.
Officers arrested a 32-yearold
woman from east London
and a 29-year-old woman at the
scene, and a 44-year-old man
was arrested later that
afternoon, all on suspicion of
burglary.
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