Trans woman says Uber drivers call her ‘sir’ as she can’t change name on app
https://metro.co.uk/2021/07/26/trans-wo ... -14990192/
A trans woman has criticised Uber after claiming it has refused to let her change her name on her account.
Charlie Hadley, 33, wanted to change her name on the app to her new name to avoid being ‘outed’ on every ride.
As her deadname – her former birth name she no longer uses – is typically male, it means drivers still call her ‘sir’.
Charlie, from Bristol, said: ‘I’ve transitioned for almost a year now. I really hate getting in the cars and being asked, “How’s your night, sir?”
‘It makes me feel unsafe. I’ve had that experience while wearing women’s clothes and I’ve been called sir.
‘I feel my account is outing me as a trans woman and it shouldn’t. I shouldn’t be outed as a trans woman because of a stupid internal software process.
‘I feel much safer with Uber than with other taxi drivers because I know there’s a record of who drove me, but I still worry something could happen.
‘I don’t want to get into a conversation [about being trans] with the drivers, especially if I’ve had a few drinks and I’m coming home.’
The software engineer claims she filled out a form online, to then be told it was not possible to change her name ‘due to strict regulations’, as she had previously applied to become a driver for the company.
Instead she was told she would have to make a new account, but she has not been able to do so as her old account is already linked to her mobile number.
Charlie said: ‘I tried to change my name through the Uber app and when you try and do that, you have to fill out a form to verify why you’re changing your name.
‘The message I got back was about internal processes.
‘In the past, I tried to become a driver. I created a possible driver account and went along to their information session, but my car wasn’t new enough for them. It didn’t go any further.
‘They said they don’t allow their drivers to change their name at all – not even once.
‘They should have processes for drivers to change their name. I understand they might be worried about drivers with a bad reputation changing their name, but Uber should be able to [handle that] through other mechanisms than just a name.’
She said she is ‘frustrated’ as she now has to fill in another form to try and get them to create a new account for her.
Charlie has criticised the company for not putting trans people on its ‘list of priorities’ despite Uber changing its logo to mark Pride Month. She said she hasn’t struggled as much with other apps she uses.
‘It might be that they will change it but there’s absolutely no reason for it to be like this,’ she added.
‘Facebook has a “real name policy” and they are fine with changing your name. The dating apps are fine with you changing your name.
‘Uber sponsors Pride events and it is one of the companies that changes its logo every Pride Month. It should be much easier to change your name and email address on your account.
‘They don’t help their [trans] users and I feel really bad for drivers if they’re not able to transition.
‘It’s not on their list of priorities. I think they’ve never considered what the journey of a trans person would be.’
An Uber spokesperson said: ‘Uber is committed to diversity and inclusion and has zero-tolerance policy for discrimination including based on sex or gender.
‘We are sorry that the user had such a poor experience with us, and we are currently investigating how we can improve our processes.’
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