Two friends kicked out of Uber for ‘peck on cheek’
An Uber driver has once again been accused of homophobic behaviour after ejecting two male friends for kissing.
The private car hire service is faces more accusations of homophobia after two male friends were allegedly shouted at and thrown out of a car after sharing a peck on the lips during a recent journey.
Sam Simons, 36, claims that the “ridiculous” incident took place over the weekend as he travelled home from a night out with friend Santiago Figeuroa, aged 20.
The former says the pair had only just started their journey when Mr Figeuroa moved across the back of the car so they could look at photos they had taken throughout the evening.
Mr Simons alleges that when the his friend then put his arm around him and kissed him, the Uber driver slammed on the breaks, before shouting “man should not kiss man” repeatedly.
He then demanded the pair exit the cab.
“We didn’t get out and told him to do his job and take us home,” says Mr Simons, “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 told the London Evening Standard.
He went on to express his “love” for the company – which has been praised as a safer, cheaper way to travel across some of the world’s busiest cities – but said the driver’s actions were “unacceptable”.
“I’m a pretty tough guy. While this was inappropriate, it didn’t ruin my night,” he said.
“But it did ruin my friend’s night, and I worry about other people being treated like that.”
It is not the first such incident involving an Uber driver.
In May, PinkNews exclusively revealed that a London Uber driver had been suspended – after kicking out a gay passenger because of his sexuality.
Neil Shah had been enjoying a night out in Soho – but on his way home with friends, was ordered out of an Uber taxi after holding hands and kissing in the back of the car.
A separate couple, Corey Watts and his boyfriend Jordan Sloan, said that they were kicked out an Uber after they kissed earlier this year.
The same week, another couple were told by an Uber driver that it “was against the Uber rules” for them to hug – and were subjected to homophobic comments.
In response to the latest incident, an Uber spokesperson 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.”
