When a woman is in labour, you would expect that each and every person she comes into contact with during that tense time would be sympathetic and sensitive to her situation. Unfortunately for one New Yorker recently, this was not the case.
An unnamed new mother has spoken of her shock and horror after the Uber taxi she ordered to bring her to the hospital refused to take her – all while she was in labour.
According to reports, the woman ordered the taxi and - along with her husband and their birthing coach – she asked to be brought to the hospital three miles away.
Astonishingly, the driver refused to do so, but even worse, the woman ended up vomiting on the pavement because he warned her about getting sick inside of his car. Despite the fact that her husband promised to pay any extra fees – for her illness and to get them to the hospital – the driver insisted he would not bring them to their destination.
To add insult to injury, the driver proceeded to demand $13 from the couple for his ‘troubles’.
Thankfully, the couple were able to hail down another cab, but the incident has sent shockwaves throughout the country and, indeed, around the world.
While Uber has apologised, there are legal issues at play here – technically, this woman was discriminated against due to her condition, which is against the law.
Commenting on the debacle, the woman’s husband, David Lee, told local media: “I don’t blame Uber for one driver’s poor actions…but I do think that when a company has a culture of bullying their way past laws and regulations, as Uber seems to do, they begin to think they can act with impunity in anything.”
“I’m fortunate enough to know my rights, but I feel for the person who is not as lucky,” he added.
