Nashville Lyft Driver calls 911 on Black Passenger Who Refuses to Give $5 Cash Tip

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Nashville Lyft driver Lee Lazarus was driving for Lyft when he picked up a passenger earlier this month in Nashville. He picked up the passenger at the Airport, and the passenger needed to stop and get liquor and cigarettes, a very common request for someone just coming into town, and Lyft even allows for stops to be added, and recommends they stay under 10 minutes to be considerate of the driver’s time (drivers do get paid for this time, just at a lower rate than if they were driving).

UPDATE: Driver has been terminated from the Lyft Platform.

Lazarus told the passenger that he would not stop at all, unless the passenger paid him a $5 tip in cash. The passenger placed the new mid-destination in the Lyft app, which is the proper procedure, and Lyft driver Lee Lazarus became angered and pulled over by the Nashville Athletic Club (4.3 miles from his pick up at the airport), and told the passenger to get out of his vehicle. The paying passenger, who was following the proper Lyft procedures, but refusing to give a $5 cash tip up front, refused to get out of the Prius. 15 minutes later (unpaid ‘waiting’ time since he ended the ride) the police showed up and since the ride was ended, he left the vehicle. Lazarus would have made more money by simply stopping, as is the proper Lyft procedure, instead of calling 911 on his passenger, because he refused to give a $5 cash tip to make a stop, for which the driver was already being paid for.

Lazarus then tried to justify it by saying “I didn’t know if he had drugs or weapons or what” – despite just picking him up at the airport where he would have passed through security on the incoming flight.

Lazarus previously told another driver he would wait for a customer if less than five minutes, otherwise he would “drop him like a hat” – and to “rate accordingly if he doesn’t tip you”

 

Lyft Policy for Changes to the address or multiple stops

Passengers can add a stop on the way to their final destination in original Lyft, Lyft Plus, or Premier rides. The app alerts you when a passenger adds a stop, which they can do before pickup or during a ride.
The final price and your pay is calculated based on time and distance. Rides with added stops will likely be longer and result in higher earnings.
Before passengers get out at a stop, set expectations on wait time. If they don’t return, tap through to drop them off instead of canceling the ride. If passengers want to change their drop-off location, they can update the destination in the app throughout the ride.

Lyft Policy on ‘Errands’

We love seeing community members help each other out, so we see running errands as a great part of the Lyft experience.
When making multiple stops, keep in mind that drivers are just like you and may have other plans later in the day. If you’re making a stop or going to leave the car for more than 10 minutes, ask the driver to end the ride. Then, request a new ride when you’re ready to go to your next destination.

Text of the Social Media Post

I picked him up at the airport. He wanted to stop at like a store for smokes, and then another store for alcohol. I told him I only stopped for a $5 cash tip. He said he wanted to spend about 5 to 10 minutes in each Place, wasting my time. He actually said this to me. So after I told him that, he said I’m going to place it in the Lyft app and force you to stop. So I stopped over by the Nashville Athletic Club and said we’re just going to end the ride now. He refused to get out of my car. He said in the ride before I get out. I said I don’t believe you’ll get out of my car if I in the ride. He continued to refuse, so I called the cops. The cops took 15 minutes to get there. This guy was a real jerk. And I didn’t know if he had drugs or weapons or what.

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Call / Text Kurt NOW! 615-479-0550

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11 Thoughts to “Nashville Lyft Driver calls 911 on Black Passenger Who Refuses to Give $5 Cash Tip”

  1. Lee Lazarus

    If you do not remove this story about me, which is false and considered “libel,” I am going to sue your newspaper.

    1. ENN Staff

      we welcome receipt of your legal papers. screenshots of your own words is what we reported on, which covers us for any claim. Let us know if you need help filing.

  2. Lee… you’re an idiot.

    1. Lee Lazarus

      Nice that you can call people names but not even give contact so somebody can come confront you with it. No big deal, see you in court.

    1. ENN Staff

      be happy to see you in court. we reported on your own words, and included a screenshot. Looking forward to it. please review anti-slapp before you file.

      1. Lee Lazarus

        I noticed that you didn’t bother to put the Fox news report on your website. See you in court.

        1. ENN Staff

          Hey Lee, we’re still waiting for those court papers.

  3. Lee Lazarus

    Also, since the report you quoted from Facebook was from a “closed group” (it is actually illegal for you to be there since you’re not part of the group), it is not “public information.” Laws are in place against this. (And it was taken far out of context anyway). East Nashville News has a history of “hate” reporting against Uber and Lyft drivers. Hope you’re prepared to defend Class Action. It’s time somebody took you to task on your horrible and illegal business practices. Like I said, see you in court.

    1. ENN Staff

      you keep saying ‘see you in court’ but i don’t think you know what those words mean. You should review Anti-SLAPP before you waste your time, and end up owing for all our atty fee’s too. But should you find a dictionary and file a lawsuit, we’ll see you in court, and report on every moment of it. Because that’s what we do. Also, you knowledge of the ‘law’ is laughable – especially since you believe there are ‘laws’ against being in closed facebook groups. We had a dozen people send us your crazy story. We used your own screenshots and words. So we do hope to see you in court.

  4. […] the Lyft Driver, Lee Lazarus, who was terminated from the platform for kicking a passenger out of his vehicle after we publicized that the true reason was the […]

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