“Disgusting.”
At first, Matt Tongi thought he’d misheard the Uber driver — he’d just kissed his boyfriend Sumeet Chadha in the backseat, and told him he loved him.
That’s when the driver said, “Fags rot in hell!” and abruptly cancelled the fare, insisting they get out of the car.
Related: Frat Bro Hurling Antigay Slurs At Uber Driver Goes Viral. Zero Stars.
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As Pink News reports, it all happened on their way to San Francisco Pride.
The couple has filed an official report, but hasn’t heard back from Uber.
“It was a peck,” Chadha tells ABC7. “That’s all.”
Tongi told the channel:
The driver all of a sudden said, ‘We can’t take you guys anymore. We can’t take you guys.’ And we’re like uh what are you talking about? And he says, ‘We don’t have any gas. We don’t have any gas. This car is not going to work. We’re not going to be able to go.'”
Related: Adorable, Cuddly Gay Couple Kicked To The Curb By Uber Driver For Being Adorable And Cuddly
“That wasn’t the case,” his friend Gonzalo Lozana added, “because I glanced over to his dashboard and he was not nearly empty. The gas was full.”
After they left the vehicle, the driver apparently told them to go ahead and report the incident.
“He said nothing is going to happen, report what you want.”
Related: Married Uber Driver Tried To Sexually Assault Male Passenger
The irony is that Uber made such a huge deal about Pride in the wake of Orlando, adding rainbow flags to their cars and advertising special hashtags. Several employees even marched in the San Francisco Pride Parade.
Related: Homophobic Uber Driver To Riders: “Man Should Not Kiss Man!”
But when ABC7 reached out to Uber, they received the following generic statement:
“Uber does not tolerate any form of discrimination, and we are looking into this incident.”
Needless to say, the couple has decided to never ride with Uber again.
MarionPaige
Uber seems to have a target on its back. Could it be because Uber is rolling in cash. It just got a $2 billion dollar investment.
galatians328
OBVIOUSLY, if you get into a – WITH a STRANGER, without knowing anything objectively valid and current about the STRANGER’S historical driving record, history of violence, criminal record, etc – IN A LARGELY UNREGULATED INDUSTRY … what do you expect?
Stache
@galatians328: Only idiots think that industry is regulated and safe. Most drivers don’t even carry proper insurance. You get what you pay for.
Stache
God he went to the News. You’re literally getting into a strangers car that doesn’t get paid shit and you expect professionalism? Ha.
Bob LaBlah
Talk about idiots spending money foolishly. A regular cab ride would have been cheaper and the driver wouldnt have given one flying fuck about whatever you and your other did in the back as long as you had his far upon arrival. Give me NYC anyday.
ErikO
@galatians328: Exactly. I have never taken Uber and never will.
Daniel-Reader
So would you say they had an Utterly Bigoted Economical Ride?
seaguy
@Bob LaBlah: Well they were in SFO not NYC and Uber has basically taken over the roll from the traditional taxi’s which in SFO were rude, overpriced and hard to get.
sfbeast
I’m waiting to hear what happens next. Did Uber investigate and has the driver been fired?
Stache
@seaguy: Great point. New York is completely different then everywhere else. They have lots of regulations which is a good thing.
Uber is a great idea. Its the evil greedy company and their breaking the rules that sucks. Lots of politicians get paid off to look the other way. They need to be regulated just as much as taxi’s.
Stache
@sfbeast: Uber will most likely remove the driver. If the complaint didn’t do it then the bad press will surely terminate the driver.
Stache
I don’t give a shit about rainbow flags or any other BS PR from this company. Pay the drivers a fair wage with benefits. As of now they don’t so they have to scrap the bottom of the barrel looking for drivers. Meanwhile they’re getting Billions.
Civil right priorities come after economic priorities.
KevinG
I take cabs in SF when I can. But they aren’t always available. I used to actually call cabs, but they never ever ever come — they’ll pick up a fare on the street en route if they see one first. People started turning to Uber and its competitors out of frustration over this, since as town car services they are legally not allowed to pick people who’ve just hailed them off the street. That said, I won’t use Uber (only twice when someone with a corporate account called it for me), but I will call Lyft or Flywheel if I’ve been waiti forever and can’t get a cab.