Portland Taxi dropped by Uber for driver's homophobic rant
PORTLAND, Ore. – Uber has severed ties with a Portland taxi service after a driver allegedly yelled homophobic slurs at patrons outside of a popular gay bar.
On Sept. 20, Portland resident Ty Toaster posted a photo of a Portland Taxi Company driver on Facebook after he got out of his taxi to yell at him and other patrons at Scandals.
“This ***hole just pulled over while working to tell all us queers that we are going to hell.”
Toaster said he called Portland Taxi Company to report the incident, and was told the company didn’t care.
Portland Taxi Company has not responded to KGW’s requests for comment.
The company told KATU the driver would not be disciplined.
That didn’t sit well with Uber, the ride-sharing service that had an agreement with Portland Taxi Company. On Monday, Uber announced it would no longer work with the company.
That didn’t sit well with Uber, the ride-sharing service that had an agreement with Portland Taxi Company. On Monday, Uber announced it would no longer work with the company.
“Uber strongly believes in non-discrimination, diversity, and inclusion,” said spokesman Jon Isaacs. “The actions of a Portland Taxi Company driver and the stated beliefs of the company are unacceptable and obviously completely inconsistent with Uber's strong support of the LGBT community. Today, we informed Portland Taxi Company that we are ending our affiliation with the company and have removed all of their drivers from the Uber platform.”
Uber works with some local cab companies, offering an "Uber Taxi" option on the app. The partnerships are an about-face for taxi companies, which initially opposed Uber in Portland.
Other taxi companies continue to work with Uber and are not associated with the Portland Taxi Company situation.
http://www.kgw.com/money/business/after-drivers-alleged-homophobic-rant-portland-taxi-dropped-by-uber/326258800
