An Uber driver identified as Timothy was caught on video launching into a racist tirade against passenger Kiara White, who retaliated with personal insults. (Photo: Facebook/ Kiara LuvMoni White) Kiara White reported her Uber driver after he called her the N-word, but Uber ended up suspending her profile instead of responding. (Photo: Facebook/Kiara LuvMoni White)
A white Uber driver and his black passenger engaged in a vicious, emotionally charged argument complete with racial slurs, offensive stereotypes and personal insults on Sunday — and the entire thing was recorded and shared on Facebook.
The tense interaction allegedly started when the driver, identified as Timothy on his Uber account page, couldn’t navigate his GPS map during their ride through Davenport, Iowa, according to the passenger, Kiara White. Disoriented, the driver went the wrong way down a one-way street twice, she said, which led to the battle.
The tension escalated quickly as he “went in on” White, she wrote on Facebook, allegedly calling her “a whοre who sold drugs” just like “all black people.” Shortly after the verbal fight began, White started secretly filming the conversation on her phone — but even when she revealed she was recording Timothy, he didn’t seem to care.
From there, the argument escalated. The driver makes monkey noises and calls White the n-word several times while yelling, “Why don’t you get out? I’m sick of you. I don’t have to take you to your destination!” White insisted the driver complete the trip or she’d call the police, but Timothy continued to pressure White to exit the car. He never pulled over though and the two continued to berate each other for almost five minutes.
It’s still not confirmed what happened in the car before the camera started rolling, and there’s no footage of exactly what provoked the argument.
In a statement to Yahoo Lifestyle, a spokesperson for Uber wrote, “This behavior is appalling and it has no place on the Uber app or anywhere. Uber does not tolerate any form of discrimination and as soon we learned of this report, we removed this driver’s access to the app.” The spokesperson also referenced the company’s non-discrimination policy, which states, “Uber seeks to ensure that safe, reliable, and high-quality transportation options are available to everyone,” and vows a zero-tolerance approach to abuse “against riders or drivers based on race” and other identifying characteristics. “Any rider or driver found to have violated this prohibition will lose access to the Uber platform,” the company notes.
After White issued her complaint with Facebook, though, she claims the company blocked her account too without even replying, and the reason is unclear, according to The Mirror. The Uber spokesperson did not comment on the passenger’s alleged ban, and Yahoo Lifestyle has reached out to White for an update on the claim.
According to Timothy’s Uber account page, he had been a driver for the company for just 22 days when he picked up White. His score, as rated by clients, was 4.82 out of 5 stars.
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