Uber Canada driver opens up after his encounter with a racist rider goes viral

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Editor’s note: This story contains details some readers may find disturbing.

An Uber Canada driver’s upsetting encounter with a racist passenger is making rounds on the internet.

On September 22, Calgary-based Mandeep Sehgal, who drives part-time for Uber, shared a three-minute video of the incident filmed on an interior car camera on TikTok.

It shows him picking up a passenger in Calgary on the night of September 21.

@logicalcalgarian #racistencounter #racism #racisimcalgary #whitesuppremacyisadisease #hardworkingpeoplegettinghate #stopthehate #ubercalgary #Racisimagainstpunjabis #Racisimagainstindians #fakecanadians ♬ original sound – Mandeep

Earlier this week, the video began being cross-posted by other accounts on social media websites and has garnered thousands of views.

What happened

The video begins with Sehgal getting out of his vehicle to assist the rider with putting some luggage into the trunk. The passenger identifies himself as “Jordan.”

“Thanks for picking me up, man. So, where are you from? Don’t lie to me,” the passenger asks immediately upon occupying the backseat.

“Why would I lie, man?” Sehgal, surprised, calmly asks.

“Because I can sense it already that you lie. Why would you lie? I don’t know, maybe to your girlfriends.”

When Sehgal says “no,” the passenger interrupts, saying. “Whatever! Whatever you please, bro. I can still sense it, though.”

The driver seems visibly taken aback.

Here’s a transcript of the rest of the conversation:

Driver: “Originally, I’m from India — Punjab.”

Passenger: “Punjabi Indian… Are you on your PR [Permanet Residence visa]?”

Driver: “Yes, I was landed as a resident seven years ago.”

Passenger: “Nice! And you’ve been Ubering for a while?

Driver: “Three years, just to meet ends. I have a full-time job.”

Passenger: “PR’s coming up, or what’s the idea [unintelligible]? Marry a white chick? Get her pregnant, or what?”

Driver [chuckles]: “Why are you so judgemental? I—”

Passenger: “Because I was born and raised Calgarian. I’m white blood of the land! You are in my land. I am the blood of the land, you understand?”

Driver: “No.”

Passenger: “You’re Punjabi Indian! You’re f*cking, you’re not even f*cking close to being from here! I was literally f*cking born and bred in this land.”

Driver: “But that doesn’t make any difference.”

uber

@logicalcalgarian/TikTok

Passenger: You don’t understand that! You are living in Canada right now, are you not?”

Driver: “Yes I am.”

Passenger: “Okay, and where were you born?”

Driver: “I was born in India.”

Passenger: India, exactly! I am born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, okay? I am a pureblood of Calgary, Alberta. That’s all I’m trying to tell you, brother!

Driver [pulling over]: “Yeah, you can get out here on your land. Thank you so much. That’s it.”

Passenger: “Cancel it, cancel it then.”

A mostly unintelligible conversation follows as Sehgal leaves the car to get the passenger’s luggage out of the trunk. “I’m not trying to be racist! Listen, I’m not actually racist!” the rider can be heard saying.

The video has garnered thousands of views and has been shared by multiple accounts on X and other websites.

“My first time experiencing such racism in Canada”

Daily Hive spoke to Sehgal Monday afternoon.

He said it took him a few days to process what had happened. The incident occurred between 9 and 9:30 pm local time, between the Okotoks and Southeast Calgary area.

Sehgal works full-time for Canada Post. He moved from Surrey, BC, to Calgary in 2022 and has been driving Uber part-time for a few years.

He’s used to riders’ racist remarks here and there but had never experienced such blatant racism: “It’s my first time experiencing such racism in Canada.”

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Mandeep Sehgal (Supplied)

Sehgal shared that he was disappointed in Uber’s initial handling of the incident, alleging that the service did not help him and there were no repercussions for the racist rider.

“They say a lot about [protecting drivers], but they do nothing. I reported it to [Uber], and they did nothing. Actually, they just sent me a warning that my account could be banned because I shared this video online,” Sehgal said. “There was no disclosure of that kind, that I can’t stream my personal space. People do that all the time. This was me at risk. I just want people to know about it.”

“If they want to ban me for standing up for myself, I don’t care. I’ll do something else. But I’m not going against anything wrongly. If I don’t stand up for myself, how can I stand up for anyone else, like my family?” he added.

Sehgal said that he and the rider both gave each other a bad rating following the incident. After he shared what happened with Uber, he was told not to worry because he already had a good overall rating. But he suspected Uber would feel pressure to take action now that the video had gone viral.

At 4:30 pm ET, Sehgal updated us about a development: He’d received a call from Uber now assuring him that they were taking action against the rider. “At the same point, [they] warned me that the same rider reported me for using the video without his consent,” he shared.

Daily Hive had contacted Uber for comment just before 1 pm ET.

“Everyone deserves to feel safe, welcome, and respected when using Uber. Hate has no place in our society, and we do not tolerate discrimination. We have been in touch with the driver, and have removed the rider from the platform,” a spokesperson shared after 6 pm ET.

“We want every Uber experience to feel safe, respectful, and positive. Everyone who uses the Uber app plays a part in making that happen. When users sign up to use the platform they agree to follow our Community Guidelines, which specifically state discriminatory language, making discriminatory remarks, vilifying, or asking questions about sensitive topics regarding national origin, race, ethnicity, or any other trait previously mentioned. Making racial comments or using slurs is never allowed.”

The ride-share service stated that when an incident is reported, it is assigned to a specialized team of safety agents to investigate and take appropriate action.

“You can get out here, on your land”

Social media responses include additional xenophobia towards Sehgal but also support for him, with many condemning the rider’s actions and saying they do not reflect Calgarians and Canadians overall.

“How is it your land when it belongs to Indigenous people?” asks one X user.

Many appreciated the Uber driver’s calm disposition and response to the incident.

What are your thoughts about this incident? Are you a ride-share service driver or food delivery worker who has experienced racist incidents in Canada? Email us at [email protected].

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