Al Roker claims NYC cab driver didn’t pick him up because he’s black
Beloved weatherman Al Roker fired off a series of tweets Saturday claiming a New York City cab driver intentionally passed him by because he's black.
Beloved weatherman Al Roker fired off a series of tweets Saturday claiming a New York City cab driver intentionally passed him by because he’s black.
And it’s not the first time, the NBC Today Show co-anchor said.
“Filed a complaint today after getting passed up again by a NYC Yellow cab. Cabbie picked up a white guy a block away. Wonder why Uber wins?” he tweeted to his more than 421,000 followers.
Roker, 61, said this incident was more painful because he was with his 13-year-old son Nicholas, who also noticed what took place.
“What really hurts, my 13 yr. old boy was with me and asked why the cabbie passed us. I said, ‘Nick, ignorant people make dumb choices,'” he tweeted.
Roker admits this issue is not a new one, but now he wants to see some changes from the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, which regulates the cabs.
“This happens to folks of color every day. And while most cabbies do their job, there are those ignorant, racist ones who hurt the others,” he tweeted. “Hopefully @nyctaxi weeds out the bad apples. Looking forward to a hearing and dealing with this. I will keep you posted.”
TLC chair Meera Joshi said the incident will be investigated.
“Service refusal goes to the core of the taxi industry’s social contract with the riding public and it will not be tolerated,” she told the New York Daily News. “We’re grateful that Mr. Roker took the time to file a complaint, and I can assure him that we will investigate this thoroughly and take every appropriate action.”
