BIAS SMACK FOR UBER
Driver booted us for kiss: lesbians
AN UBER driver booted a partyhopping lesbian couple from his car on Saturday after he saw them kissing in the back seat.
Alex Iovine, 26, an advertising technology consultant, said she and her girlfriend, Emma Pichl, 24, a senior recruiter, hailed the livery to go from a birthday party at the bar Pig Beach, in Brooklyn, to another friend’s birthday party in the East Village about 5 p.m.
“We were sitting on opposite sides of the car,” she said. “We leaned in for a peck, and that’s what it was, a legit peck.”
The PDA was too much for the driver, who pulled the car over on Canal St. as it reached the other side of the Manhattan Bridge.
“He said, ‘Get out of my car,’ ” Iovine said. “My girlfriend started laughing. She thought he was joking.”
She said they had had two drinks at the Gowanus bar, but were far from drunk.
Iovine said she’s aware of Uber’s code of conduct, but was adamant that the two did nothing more than a quick smooch.
“He yelled at us for being disrespectful and inappropriate because we pecked on the lips,” Iovine.
The driver, Ahmed Elbotari, 35, wearing a wrinkled, ill-fitting undershirt and frosted sunglasses, can be seen on a cell phone recording, which Iovine posted to YouTube, as he opens the back door of the car after pulling over at Canal St. to force the women to leave.
“It’s illegal,” the driver said after Iovine asks him why he’s putting them out. “You can’t do this in the car. You aren’t allowed to do this.”
The women, who live in Union Square, press him for a better explanation for cutting the ride short.
“Why are we not allowed to kiss in an Uber?” Iovine asks.
“It’s disrespectful,” the livery driver says in the video.
The couple becomes enraged, threatening to call police.
“Nothing is illegal,” one of the women says. “It’s not illegal to kiss in New York.”
The cabbie gets grabby and reaches for one of the women’s phones to stop her from videotaping.
Elbotari said Iovine is only telling half the story.
The hack, who has been licensed since September 2014 and has no other active complaints against him, said he took offense to more than just the show of affection.
“I don’t give a s--t about them. I did what I believe is my freedom,” he said.
Elbotari said the couple was acting crude in his cab. He said one forced the other to smell her armpit, they played loud videos on their phones, one put her feet on his seat, and they kissed.
“It’s my own car. I didn’t feel comfortable with them,” Elbotari said. The driver said he asked them to stop kissing and lower the volume on their phones. Elbotari said he would do the same for a straight couple, but acknowledged he has less tolerance for a same-sex couple.
After 4,000 fares on Uber, he said he has a stellar rating.
Iovine denied the couple acted inappropriately.
“We would never disrespect someone else’s car in such manner and we always handle ourselves appropriately in public,” Iovine said.
Iovine said she complained to Uber directly after the incident, but the company did not respond until the Daily News reported the flap.
Uber refunded the $22 fare and apologized to her for the inconvenience.
“Uber does not tolerate any form of discrimination, and we have reached out to the rider regarding her experience,” Uber spokeswoman Susan Hendrick said. “We are investigating and will take appropriate action.”
Hendrick said the driver had reported the incident as well.
Iovine said that she also filed a complaint with the city’s Human Rights Commission, but hasn’t heard back from the online ridehail company.
The Taxi & Limousine Commission has launched its own investigation.
“We’ve reached out to the victim, and will be starting the investigation today,” said TLC spokesman Allan Fromberg.
The couple said the experience opened their eyes to how pervasive prejudice can be.
“Obviously, he’s homophobic,” Iovine said. “I was very surprised. I haven’t experienced homophobic behavior in the city. We live in this bubble and think this can’t happen here in New York City. This goes to show that it can happen anywhere.”
To make matters worse, she said, the incident took place during a month dedicated to celebrating sexual diversity. “It was a really terrible experience — and ironically occurred on a bright sunny day during pride month in New York City,” Iovine said.