5 days ago
Man claims Uber drivers don't pick him up as he is ‘morbidly obese'
A Melbourne man has hit out at Uber, claiming drivers have repeatedly refused to pick him up due to his 'larger' weight.
Martin, who is on a disability pension due to his size, said he relies on ride shares to transport him from his home to his parents place to look after them.
But he alleges drivers pull up, take one glance at him and drive past before the trip is suddenly cancelled.
'It's because I'm morbidly obese. I don't shy away from that,' Martin told A Current Affair.
The Melburnian said he is left to feel 'horrible' and 'less of a human being'.
'I want to be able to be like everyone else. Just because I'm a larger person doesn't mean I shouldn't have rights that you would have or anyone else in Australia would have,' he said.
Martin is forced to wait another 10 to 15 minutes for another Uber and hoped the next driver 'has the decency to stop'.
In one video he questioned an Uber driver who had refused to pick him up.
'You're saying you're not taking me?' Martin said in the clip.
'Yes, I say I'm not taking you,' the driver responded.
Martin pressed him on why before the Uber driver sped off.
The Melbourne man said he faces constant rejection and judgment in his life, saying he is worried about eating in public as he felt like 'the entire world is looking at me'.
Martin also said he has even chosen to cut his own hair as he cannot fit in the chair.
He has noted down the Uber drivers who have refused him and flagged the incidents with the ride share giant on multiple occasions.
In response Uber said it will rectify the issue and offer him little compensation, he claimed.
'They occasionally send me a $10 voucher because that's how much human dignity is worth,' Martin said.
In a statement, Uber said it has a 'zero tolerance policy towards any form of discrimination'.
'This type of behaviour is not acceptable in rideshare or anywhere in society,' a spokesperson said.
'Our Community Guidelines clearly prohibit discrimination of any kind. We work to inform driver partners about those standards, hold them accountable for their actions, and make it clear that this behaviour can result in them losing access to the Uber app.'
A Channel 9 reporter flagged the public might argue that Martin should lose weight.
But he claimed to be 'stuck in a situation I can't change' and is doing his best to 'try and achieve my goals, my dreams' but he did not have the resources to change his life.
'All I want is to be treated like a human being. I just want to be able to live my life, be independent, live with dignity, and self-respect,' Martin said.
