Uber driver praised after helping passenger being ‘harassed’ by Planned Parenthood protestors

‘Not all heroes wear capes, some drive Uber,’ one viewer writes

Uber driver blasts music while driving passenger past protestors in Planned Parenthood parking lot (TikTok / @madamkumba)

An Uber driver is being praised after sharing a video of the steps she took to help a passenger who was allegedly being “harassed” by protestors at Planned Parenthood.

Last week, the driver, who goes by the username @madamkumba on TikTok, uploaded a clip in which she could be seen sitting in the driver’s seat and driving an unidentified passenger out of what was reportedly a Planned Parenthood parking lot in Florida while blasting My Neck, My Back (Lick it) by Khia.

In the TikTok, @madamkumba drives past multiple protestors, including one holding a sign that read “Pray to End Abortion”. As she passed the protestors, the Uber driver opened the car windows and yelled out “Let’s go!” along with some of the lyrics to the explicit song, which are included in the TikTok.

The clip, which appears to have been taken by the passenger from the backseat includes the sound of the woman laughing at her driver’s handling of the situation.

“My Uber passenger was being harassed by the protestors at Planned Parenthood so I had to help her out,” @madamkumba wrote in a caption on the TikTok, adding in the caption: “Gosh I love being an Uber driver.”

As of Tuesday, the clip, which has been viewed more than 7m times, has been met with hundreds of comments from TikTok users praising @madamkumba for her support.

“This lady deserves everything in life. A hero!” one person commented, while another said: “This actually made me tear up a little, we need more of you.”

Someone else added: “An actual queen. We love to see it.”

Chelsea Handler was also among those applauding the TikTok user, with the comedian commenting: “Hell yes!”

In the comments, @madamkumba said that, while she appreciates being praised as a “hero,” she doesn’t consider herself one, as she noted she was “just giving someone a hand”.

In a follow-up video, @madamkumba revealed that she hadn’t expected the viral response to her video, before adding that she does not know the identity of the passenger, but hopes that she is okay.

“The reason why I wanted to share this story is because I believe that women need to help other women,” the Uber driver continued, before thanking viewers for the “love and the reaction” to the video, which she described as the “greatest Christmas moment”.

The TikToker then urged viewers to support women’s health facilities and to donate as much as they can “because we’re going to need it”.

“Insurance has been very limited for a lot of women nowadays,” she added.

The Uber employee concluded the clip explaining that she does not know if her female passenger had an abortion, as she didn’t ask, before condeming the pro-life protestors, who she said “need to stop harassing other people, especially when they go to a facility”.

The Uber driver’s support comes after the ride-hailing app said it would cover the legal fees of any driver who is sued under Texas’s new law prohibiting most abortions.

Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced the company’s dedication to supporting drivers after Lyft announced its intention to do so after the law, which bans abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy and allows private citizens to sue anyone who helps someone obtain an abortion, went into effect.

In a statement, Lyft said: “Drivers are never responsible for monitoring where their riders go or why. Imagine being a driver and not knowing if you are breaking the law by giving someone a ride. Similarly, riders never have to justify, or even share, where they are going and why. Imagine being a pregnant woman trying to get to a healthcare appointment and not knowing if your driver will cancel on you for fear of breaking a law. Both are completely unacceptable.”

Following Lyft’s statement, Khosrowshahi wrote on Twitter: “Team @Uber is in too and will cover legal fees in the same way. Thanks for the push.”

The Independent has contacted @madamkumba for comment.