Being a wheelchair user isn’t for the faint of heart. While for most people, the main problem remains the lack of accessibility in most cities, there are other things that can happen, too.
It often means dealing with misplaced chairs during flights or airlines breaking your equipment. Sometimes, they have to deal with strangers who take the accessible parking spot even though they don’t qualify.
And sometimes, it comes with strange assumptions you’d never expect. That’s what happened to one woman in Las Vegas when her Uber driver saw her wheelchair and jumped to the wrong conclusion.
Woman who uses wheelchair shares awkward story
TikToker Karlee Rose (@karleexrosee) posted a video about the unusual interaction, which has now racked up more than 462,200 views.
“I’m in Las Vegas, and my Uber driver was like, ‘Oh, I can’t drive you. You’re in a wheelchair. You’re too drunk,’” Karlee explained.
She said she immediately corrected the driver: “No, babe, I’m always in a wheelchair. I’m not drunk.”
According to her, the driver genuinely thought she had been drinking so heavily that she needed the chair to get around. “She thought I was so drunk that I needed a wheelchair,” Karlee added, baffled at the assumption.
Commenters find humor in it
The clip struck a chord online, with viewers finding the odd misunderstanding entertaining.
“Las Vegas is a different world because why is that your first assumption?” one person wrote.
Another admitted, “Ok but as a Vegas local, she’s valid for assuming that.”
Others shared their own negative rideshare experiences.
“I was roofied one time and my friends said that three of our ubers saw us and drove off immediately because i was sitting on the ground (i had no control over my limbs),” they write. “My friend had to physically hold me up to get one. it’s so ridiculous.”
@karleexrosee ♬ original sound – Karlee Rose
Can Uber refuse a passenger who’s too drunk?
According to Uber’s community guidelines, drivers are allowed to decline trips if they believe a rider is too intoxicated to travel safely.
The company notes that riders should never bring open containers of alcohol or illegal substances into the car. They add that disruptive or unsafe behavior can also be grounds for ending or refusing a trip.
The Mary Sue has reached out to both Karlee and Uber via email for official comment.
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