Video has gone viral of a Lyft driver in Pennsylvania refusing to give a ride to a prospective passenger after her racist remarks.
Footage showing driver James Bode telling the woman to “get out” of his vehicle on Friday night in the Allentown suburb of Catasauqua had by early Tuesday garnered more than 3.3 million views on Twitter. Police have identified the woman as a local bar owner and are investigating, according to The Morning Call.
“You’re like a white guy,” the woman told Bode in the clip he shared on Facebook Friday. “Are you, like, a white guy?” she continued. “You’re like, a normal guy? It’s like, you speak English.”
Bode told the woman that her comments were inappropriate and that she should “get out of the car.”
“If somebody was not white, sitting in this seat, what would be the difference?” he asked.
A man who was with the woman called Bode a “fucking asshole” and said he should punch him “in the fucking face.”
Bode called them “racist fucks” as the woman left the car.
The man then called Bode a “fucking asshole” and used a racist slur as the car door was slammed shut.
Bode told them that the exchange was recorded by his in-vehicle camera and that he would call the police.
On Twitter, Lyft praised Bode for “instantly shutting down this hate & upholding our no tolerance anti-discrimination policies.”
“We’re looking into these riders & are in touch with James to show our thanks,” the company added.
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