Houston Uber Driver Shames Rider For Sleeping

Leon Lenderman decided to post video (screenshot below, we blurred the riders face for privacy) of one of his riders who had fallen asleep in the car, and whom was snoring. Was he right for doing this?

Here’s the deal: While in Texas it is legal to record anyone you want because of one party consent laws, it is against both Uber and Lyft policy to take that video and post it online, without getting permission from the rider. While we were unable to confirm if Leon did get the riders permission, we can imply from the video, that the rider was 100% unaware of this video being posted online, for all to see.

What truly disgusts me though, is that this Leon Lenderman did a “brake check” on the rider just to be funny. (A brake check is when you slam on your brakes to test them out. Typically, a brake check is used on a tailgater so that they can test out their brakes.)

Brake checks can be dangerous. While Leon clearly did not see anything wrong with doing so, a number of things could have gone wrong. How so? If you examine the photo below, it appears the rider is not wearing a seatbelt. (not illegal in Texas for adults to not wear seat belts in the backseat.) A brake check on an unassuming person could have easily jerked their neck forward in a potential whiplash scenario and/or sent him right into the back of the front seat, smashing his face. I guess it is safe to say that Leon did not do it hard enough, but he did wake the rider up. Why would a grown man think it is okay to play kid games with customers beats me.

What are your thoughts? Was Leon wrong for doing this? Would you of done the same thing?

Personally, the biggest compliment a rider can give me is to fall asleep. That means they trust me 100% to get them to their destination safely.