Dion Lim, reported with ABC7 news, shared a video on Tuesday where passengers on a ride on Uber could be seen behaving in an extremely offensive manner with the driver Subhakar. The video that has been shared widely since then shows three young women, including at least two women of colour, misbehaving with Subhakar.
⚠️ 𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚: 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗧 𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗨𝗔𝗚𝗘 ⚠️ Uber driver Subhakar told me he picked up 3 women in the Bayview yesterday & after asking one to wear a mask was subject to slurs, taunting & one grabbing his phone.
— Dion Lim (@DionLimTV) March 9, 2021
He’s taking a few days off.
SFPD is investigating. pic.twitter.com/o99pOooWsw
The video shows one of the women coughing deliberately. The argument reportedly began after the passengers were asked to wear a mask. They could be seen abusing the driver in extremely offensive language.
One of the riders also sprayed pepper spray on his car. To clean the mess, Uber offered him only $20. Subhakar says that won’t be enough at all. He says that he tried cleaning it with carpet cleaner but the odour persisted.
He says that cleaning it off the odour and stain would require a minimum of $250. He was unable to work due to the foul odour and has sustained losses due to it.
UPDATE: Subhakar shared these images with me detailing how Uber offered him $20 to clean his car after one of the riders, according to SFPD sprayed what is believed to be pepper spray in his car.
— Dion Lim (@DionLimTV) March 9, 2021
Uber then offered him $40. In the end he was given $120 for his ordeal. pic.twitter.com/iEHaf9aYTD
A spokesperson with Uber has reacted to the incident and has said in a statement, “The behavior seen in the video is appalling. The rider no longer has access to Uber.” Uber Support said on social media, “This behavior is completely unacceptable and goes against our Community Guidelines. Our team has investigated this situation and removed the Rider’s access to the Uber platform.”
In a video allegedly shared by one of the women on Instagram, they can be heard threatening the driver. “You don’t want me to know where I live,” Subhakar was told. They also used the N-Word to abuse him.
He tells them multiple times that the trip is cancelled and to get out of his car and they refused. Now she’s claiming they were kidnapped pic.twitter.com/E1c7eKsHZ9
— Natasha ⚯͛ (@ndelriego) March 9, 2021
The San Francisco Police Department is reportedly investigating the matter.
