A Lyft driver has gained over 30,000 followers on Twitter after a clip of him denying a ride to customers after they made a racist comment was seen millions of times across multiple tweets.
In recent years, ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft have gained huge popularity among customers, offering people a new way to make money, whether it’s as a main source of income or as a “side hustle”.
Unlike a regular taxi service, drivers use their personal vehicles for the task. Because of this, Lyft and Uber drivers have the ability to decline a customer at their discretion — for example, if they make inappropriate comments as soon as they sit down.
Lyft rider Jacob Bode did just that during a recent shift, and a clip of the encounter went viral on Twitter. Since then, he has gained thousands of followers on the social media site.
At the time of writing, the clip has been viewed nearly 9 million times.
Lyft driver rejects customers over racist comments
On May 15, 2022, Adam Parkhomenko shared the clip of James urging the racist customer to get out of his car. At the time of writing, Adam’s tweet has garnered over 300,000 likes and Bode has garnered over 30,000 followers on Twitter.
He said, “I don’t know who this Lyft rider is, but he deserves an award and a seat in Congress.”
In the video, the customer can be seen getting into James’ car as she immediately says, “Wow, you’re white. You’re like a normal guy, like you speak English?”
The driver immediately replied: “No, you can get out, I canceled the ride. This is inappropriate.”
I don’t know who this Lyft rider is, but he deserves an award and a seat in Congress. pic.twitter.com/8uvYSUBqne
— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) May 15, 2022
The clip prompted a flood of positive reactions to how the driver handled the situation.
One user replied: “This is how everyone should respond to racism. This is how we get rid of it. It really is. As simple as that.”
This is how everyone should respond to racism. This is how we get rid of it. It really is. As simple as that.
— Akilah Hughes (@AkilahObviously) May 15, 2022
While another user replied, stating that he felt this was “anti-racist”.
This guy showed what it means to be not just not racist but anti-racist
— anthgulino (@anthgulino) May 15, 2022
All in all, it seems James’ reaction was universally appreciated by all sorts of people, potentially putting a stop to comments like the pair’s.
He hasn’t made any public comment on his newfound popularity just yet – but we’ll be sure to update when he does.
https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/lyft-driver-goes-viral-after-rejecting-ride-over-racist-comment-you-guys-can-get-out-1824844/ Lyft rider goes viral after refusing ride over racist comment: ‘You can get out!’