Fact Check: Did a North Houston Lyft Economy Driver really kick a minor out because she refused to lock her phone in the trunk?

There is this post, posted to Twitter that claims a driver kicked a 17 year old out of his car because she refused to put her phone in the trunk.

A part of me wants to believe it (see why I will never take an UberX or Lyft Economy vehicle economy again!) However, at the same time, there are a couple reasons why we should not believe this, aside from the part that “Whorechata” (a play on Horchata, a popular drink that originated in North Africa) is posting this story:

For starters, with everything going on, this story really tugs at the heart. A minor in a Lyft Economy vehicle (Lyft’s version of UberX) refuses to leave her phone in the trunk. While I can see a driver asking you set down your phone (because being on the phone can be construed as being rude) the whole “put your phone in the trunk” is on a whole new level. As drivers, we need to build trust with our riders. This means, making them feel safe. A part of this, is allowing them to have their phone so they can see for themselves if we are 1) on route, and 2) if we go off route, they can phone a family member, friend, or even the police. If your phone is in the trunk, that is next to impossible. A driver forcing you to stash your phone in a locked trunk, is the biggest red flag there can be.

So, with the assaults on riders, and this driver allegedly forcing a minor to put her phone in the trunk, this twitter post is 100% believable.

However, there is one key thing to this post that throws everything in the air. “My friends, 17 years old daughter”

Here’s the kicker. It is basically a deadly sin to Uber and Lyft if we are caught picking up a minor without a guardian! We have broken the contract! We can be deactivated for this! INSURANCE IS NOT VALID!

There is a chance this driver found out she as a minor (as 17 years old really does not look different from 18 years old, in many cases) and he decided to end the ride.

Guess what happens when people can’t have it their way? They do everything they can to complain, get a refund, etc. This has been well documented. Similar to Phatima Latoya:

So did this happen? There are two sides to ever story, and without dashcam footage, we really can not say this happend or not. I want to give the driver the benefit of the doubt, (since he does have a 5.0 rating) but UberX/Lyft Economy drivers are also known to be a tad bit unprofessional when they handle situations like this. (being overworked does make you more irritated) But I do want to give this particular driver the benefit of the doubt, based on his rating and the fact that some riders will make up lies to get their way. Because of this, we will block out the drivers identifying information, until a police report states otherwise.

Drivers: If you ever find yourself in a situation that you realized you picked up a minor after the fact, please go ahead and complete the ride. While you should never pick up a minor, you should never kick them out.