The driver described being gay as ‘not normal’.
Earlier this month, Lewis Peters took an Uber from a work event in London when in conversation with his driver, he asked what his craziest Uber ride had been.
The driver responded: “There were two guys in the back of my car, kissing… It was disgusting and vile. It’s not normal.”
Peters said that he felt immediately unsafe, saying: “It’s not that I expected him to physically attack me. But I was alone in a car with a homophobe.
“I started calculating if he had realised I was gay and reckoned not.”
Writing for GSN, he explained: “I just sat in silence as he continued to spurt his verbal abuse. I was thinking of all the ways I could possibly keep myself safe in this situation.
“His hate had pushed me back in the closet for that journey, making me uncomfortable and, I admit, angry.”
However, at the end of the journey, Peters slammed the door as he told his driver, “You just had a ride with a gay guy.”
After complaining to Uber he was prompltly contacted by a senior support specialist. Peters received an apology for his experience and was assured that Uber has a “strict policy with regard to discrimination of any kind”.
Peters was given a full refund and the driver suspended whilst an investigation took place.
He added: “Long term, I think Uber should install cameras into the cars for driver and rider safety.”
