Woman in labor denied Uber ride, charged $13

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NBC News – (NBC) - An Uber driver left a woman in labor stranded on a Manhattan sidewalk earlier this year, then stuck her with a $13 bill, her husband says, according to a published report.

David Lee told Fortune.com that the couple tried to get an Uber to take them on a 3-mile ride to the hospital after his wife went into labor in November. But when the Uber driver arrived and saw the expectant mother getting sick, he refused to let the couple in his car.

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The website reports that the driver told Lee and his wife that he would lose about $1,000 if she got sick in his car. Lee, a lawyer, said he told the driver his wife wouldn't get sick again and that they'd pay cleaning costs if she did, but the driver still refused to let them in the car.

Fortune reports that he eventually drove off, but not before charging them $13 for his lost time.

They were still able to get to the hospital before the baby arrived, hailing another Uber, according to the website.

"I don't blame Uber for one driver's poor actions, since bad apples can appear in any organization, but I do think that when a company has a culture of bullying their way past laws and regulations, as Uber seems to do, they begin to think they can act with impunity in anything," Lee told Fortune.

Uber eventually refunded the $13 fee, but Lee said the company refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing on its part or that of the driver.

The company said it has taken action to respond to Lee's complaint.

"Denying service to a passenger in labor is unacceptable: it goes against our code of conduct and the standard of service our riders rely on. We extend our deepest apologies to both riders and have taken action to respond to this complaint. We are glad that the rider's next driver was professional and courteous," Uber said in the statement, according to Fortune.