Gay couple say Lyft driver booted them from car after they kissed

A gay couple in Indianapolis says they were kicked out of a ride-share vehicle after kissing in the back seat. 

Alec Jansen and Ben Martella, both students at Butler University in Indianapolis, told The Indianapolis Star that a Lyft driver ordered them out of his car about a mile from campus, where he picked them up.

“We basically pecked, nothing out of the ordinary,” Martella told the paper. Jansen described it as “a short kiss on the lips.” 

Martella said the driver yelled, “I’m going to end your ride. I can’t have that in my car. I don’t have that here.”

{mosads}

Now Martella is reportedly weighing legal action against the company, saying their response to his complaint was not enough. Lyft refunded the price of the trip.

A Lyft spokesperson emphasized the company’s nondiscrimination policies for drivers and told the Star the driver was “deactivated.”

Lyft includes sexual orientation in its anti-discrimination policy and last year launched an initiative with the Southern Poverty Law Center to protect minority passengers from discrimination by white supremacists on rides.