Trip-hop singer files complaint against Uber driver for corona ‘joke’

Brussels trip-hop singer JoBee has filed a police report against an Uber driver who played an elaborate ‘joke’ on her that included the threat of being infected with the coronavirus. The incident took place last Sunday.

The driver picked her up in Molenbeek and told her that he had just taken an Italian man to Saint-Pierre hospital and that he himself was not feeling well. Halfway to her destination, the driver got a phone call.

“Afterwards he pretended that it was a doctor telling him that the Italian man was infected with the coronavirus and that we had to go to the hospital immediately,” JoBee told Bruzz. “He cancelled my ride in the app and started driving really fast.”

The driver changed course, no longer heading in the direction of JoBee destination in Ixelles. After a few minutes, he stopped and burst out laughing, saying it was just a joke. “After that he again drove out of the way and let me out only after I continued demanding that he stop.”

The police are scheduling a hearing for the Uber driver, and the company has contacted JoBee. She has retained a lawyer and is considering filing a complaint against Uber as well. “This kind of behaviour is just completely irresponsible,” she said. “It’s not really about me – I’ve been through worse – but about safety in the city in general.”