A video of a heated exchange between a woman journalist and a cab driver allegedly over 95 paise has gone viral. While the woman accused the driver of being rude to her, the latter alleged she threatened him and refused to pay the taxi fare. Activist Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj shared a video of the woman recorded by the cab driver, after which the journalist, Shivangi Shukla, posted a long thread online with her version of what had happened and several videos.
"Will you not pay the bill because you're a journalist?" the driver is heard asking the journalist in the video. "You're talking rudely," she responded in English, but the unidentified driver denied it, addressing her as 'didi'. Ms Shukla suggested they both go to a police station to sort it out. The driver agreed but said he would drive only after she put the drop location at the police station.
Sharing her account of the incident online, the journalist said the incident occurred on the "desolate outskirts" of Noida. She claimed he had asked the driver to drop her at the exact location mentioned on the Uber app, but he refused.
"So (I) proceeded to pay the bill which was 129.95. I was in a hurry, so I typed 129 on UPI but he said he wants 95 paisa. He got very aggressive about the 95 paisa...He started screaming and only when I started recording he calmed down. I asked why are you aggressive over 95 paisa? Suddenly, he started driving, I thought he is trying to kidnap me," said Ms Shukla in the thread.
She also accused the Uber driver of trying to "guilt trip" her by saying, "you guys are rich why not give us some." "So, I replied I am just a journalist meaning I am on your side. He randomly starts imagining a scenario in his head which is not true and shouting."
This is when the driver took out his phone and falsely accused her of trying to intimidate him, she alleged. "I realised this driver is not wearing his Uber uniform and his face does not match the app profile picture. I felt really cornered and felt my safety is in danger. Out of self-defence I took his phone and jumped out of the car," she added.
The journalist said the driver then spoke to someone over the phone and apologised to her. She claimed she also offered to compensate him, but he refused and walked away. In the video, the driver was heard saying, "I apologised twice. Be happy that you cheated me off Rs 130."
"This is not about being a journalist as I only said it to sympathise with him which he took out of context. This is about safety. I have a voice, but many women don't. Tomorrow, it could be your loved one at the same place I was. This driver syndicate must be exposed," the woman said clarifying her position.
Internet, however, sided with the driver. A user pointed out that the driver was right while another said he wasn't rude at all.
"If he insists on 95 paise, why not pay it online? Your ego was hurt so you started recording. The driver was only asking for 95 paise in your video and you were misbehaving. You played the woman card," said a user, Durgesh Bawa.
"Sorry to say madam your argument doesn't seems genuine. If you have less/no money then travel by bus or walk," said Vanisri, another user.
"Shocked by this journalist's audacity-justifying a non-issue and painting a false picture. No shouting, no rudeness-just a driver asking for full payment. Yet she plays the woman card, as if rudeness is fine when directed at a man," said Abhishek Mahendru, another user.
