An Austin Cab employee was terminated Monday after a rider claimed he tried to illegally kick him out of the car and then pulled him out by force.
The rider, Chris Riccio, filmed part of the encounter on his cell phone and posted it to his Facebook Sunday. Within hours, the video had received thousands of views.
Riccio told KVUE's Jason Puckett that it all started early Sunday morning when he was trying to head home from his birthday celebration.
"I had a few drinks," he said. "I was not about to drive. That's why I was looking for a cab."
Riccio said that he and two of his friend hailed an Austin Cab at a stoplight.
"He actually waved us to the car to get in," Riccio said. "Once we got into the car, he asked for the address. He had already been rolling for a while when I gave him the address and he said he said 'Nah man... y'all are gonna have to get out.'"
The three sat there in stunned silence, Riccio said, before trying to reason with the driver. When they wouldn't immediately get out, Riccio said the driver turned hostile.
"He started yelling and referred to the female in the car as a very derogatory term," he said. "That's when they got out and I got my phone out and started recording."
An edited version of the recording can be seen below. It shows the driver and Riccio arguing.
At one point, Riccio asks the driver "Where do you have to go?" and gets cut off as the driver replies, "That ain't your business."
The driver eventually exits and walks around the vehicle. He and Riccio exchange a few more words before the driver says "Get your ass up,' grabs the phone - and ends the recording.
"So he reached towards the phone and grabbed it out of my hand," Riccio said about the moments after the recording ended. "He grabbed me by my wrist and yanked me out and I almost fell onto the sidewalk at that point."
One of the thousands of viewers of Riccio's video Sunday was manager of Austin Cab, James Means III.
"I recognized the driver," Means said when talking about the recording. "It's someone who has been with us off and on... I was surprised and taken aback. I don't think I've ever seen that type of thing from the driver."
Despite his surprise, Means said he immediately took action and called the driver into his office.
"Based on what I saw, based on the ordinance and regulations that I understand at this point. I removed him from the vehicle," Means said. "This is a pretty good example of everything that could go wrong regarding the ordinance."
Means said that the senior management of Austin Cab met and decided the driver's behavior warranted termination.
"Austin Cab was very easy to work with," Riccio said. "They were very - I guess you could say empathetic. They did not challenge me, they did not try to argue with me or anything like that."
Riccio said he did file a police report on the incident and would encourage anyone else in a similar situation to do the same.
"If you come across someone like this don't be afraid to stand up for yourself," He said. "Don't be stupid, but you do need to follow through with reporting it."
While he said he was thankful to Austin Cab for their swift response, Riccio also said he hopes they learn from this instance.
"Anybody can respond to a call," he said. "But what are you doing in the meantime to keep it from happening again? With Uber and Lyft I would have been given a notification with a picture of that driver asking for feedback within seconds. I had to jump in front of a car and get a picture of a plate just to have a way to track this guy."
Adding that if cab companies want to be competitive with Uber and Lyft, Riccio felt they should "learn from what they do and start doing it also."
The City of Austin also responded to this incident. A representative with the transportation department sent the following statement:
“The City of Austin will not tolerate taxi drivers who fail to act in a professional and courteous manner. Austin Transportation Department staff supports Austin Cab in its immediate action of terminating this driver’s contract. City Code Chapter 13-2 has requirements on driver conduct, as well as restrictions on refusal to transport passengers. If people would like to file a complaint against taxi operators, they can call 512-974-1551. That number should be posted in every taxi. People may also file a complaint online, email groundtransportation@austintexas.gov, or visit the City’s Ground Transportation Division in person during normal business hours at 1111 Rio Grande Street. Austin Transportation Department staff will then work with the person filing the compliant and the taxi company to begin an investigation.”
The department also reiterated that according to City Ordinance 13-2-132 regarding Driver's Conduct, it is illegal for a driver to turn down service due to trip length.
WEB EXTRA: 2014 KVUE Defenders investigation into cab drivers refusing to pick up fares.
