‘What the heck be wrong with some of these riders?’
An Uber driver calls out a passenger after she had the audacity to try to pull off a move that lacked common courtesy.
In a TikTok about the situation, Royal Bentley (@royal.bentley) reveals what the woman tried to do that got him irritated and upset by her actions. As of this writing, the TikTok has generated over 2,700 views.
After this inconsiderate move took place, Bentley had to pull over his vehicle to process.
“I had to pull over to ask this question because it’s been annoying the [expletive] out of me,” he begins.
Bentley mentions how he was going to direct this toward one group of people, as they are the only ones from his experience to do this. However, he decided not to name names, though he does continue to vent.
“What gives you the unmitigated gall?” he says.
He reveals how his vehicle has blackout windows, and when the woman went to get inside the Uber, she made a move he felt was disrespectful.
“You come to the passenger door and open the door, and you yank it open too. What the [expletive] gives you the thought, the idea, the audacity to think [you can sit in the passenger seat?] … This is not your best friend picking you up,” he vents.
Bentley continues ranting about how being an Uber passenger does not grant special access to the front seat as being a close friend or family member would.
“Everybody knows that rideshare goes in the back [expletive] seat. For you to sit next to me, that is a rare occurrence,” he emphasizes.
He shares how the only time that is acceptable is when it’s a group of people needing all the space to spread out.
“If it’s just you and your girl, why the [expletive] would you think I wanna sit next to you? I need answers,” he says.
Viewers agreed that this move to automatically go into the front seat of the Uber is disrespectful.
“That is strange,” one TikTok commenter added.
“When I did Uber people would open my door and get in the front I would tell them I don’t feel comfortable & don’t sit behind me,” another commented.
“As a rider, I feel disrespected by him sitting in the front seat,” a third shared.
Bentley took some time to reply back to viewers, addressing what he does when this situation arises.
“What’s your response to them when they do that?” one asked.
“Yeah, the back,” Bentley says.
“What the heck be wrong with some of these riders. Stting in the passenger seat is WILDD,” one commented.
“Wild AF,” Bentley replied.
Uber instituted a no-front-seat policy during COVID-19 but has removed it. While this policy is no longer in effect, it’s generally considerate to avoid the passenger seat to respect the driver’s space.
“Riders are no longer required to sit in the back seat. However, to give drivers space, we ask that riders only use the front seat if it’s required because of the size of their group,” per Uber.
Now, considering the move to sit in the front seat when you are by yourself clearly bothered Bentley, the best approach if you want to sit in the front is likely to simply ask the driver what their preference is and if it’s OK.
“I have people ride up front all the time. Just ask your driver,” one Uber driver shared on Reddit.
However, it may become an issue if the passenger assumes it’s OK to sit in the front seat without asking, as was the case with Bentley. Typically, Uber drivers have shared that, ideally, the backseat passenger side is preferred for solo riders.
“Sitting in the rear passenger side seat is the ideal from the driver’s perspective,” one shared.
“Rear driver side is creepy AF. I always have a fear that I am going to get garrotted with a piece of piano wire when someone sits alone directly behind me (what does that say about me). Rear passenger side is the sweet spot,” another added.
Most drivers will want the most comfortable service for passengers, and some drivers even prefer having them in the front seat.
“I prefer it. I can watch them better. In the back seat they have an advantage on you if they want to try something… I prefer it,” one driver revealed.
All in all, there isn’t a single answer, and it’ll be case by case. While every driver is different, it’s always best to ask for permission to ride in the front seat instead of assuming it’s OK.
Motor1 has contacted Bentley via TikTok direct message and commented on the post. We have also contacted Uber via email. We’ll update the story if either party replies.
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