A ride-sharing driver in St. Louis who reportedly live streams his passengers has been suspended by both Uber and Lyft for violating company guidelines, after his actions were published in a news article and circulated widely on social media.
In a lengthy profile on Saturday, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch told the story of Jason Jason Gargac, a 32-year old Uber and Lyft driver who built a following on Twitch by broadcasting people who hailed his vehicle – some of them children. During each ride, more than 4,000 viewers on his Twitch stream indulged in real-time commentary that frequently delved into crude, mocking and judgmental. According to the report, Missouri doesn’t view the broadcasts as a violation of state law.
Both major ride hailing services, however, did view Gargac's impromptu reality shows as a breach of standards. Reacting swiftly to the Dispatch story, Uber told CNBC in a statement it had revoked Gargac’s credentials “while we evaluate his partnership with Uber.” Lyft also told CNBC in a statement that it too had revoked Gargac's driver privileges.
According to its community guidelines, drivers are forbidden to demonstrate “any form of inappropriate or disrespectful behavior including commenting on someone’s appearance or that are otherwise disrespectful or sexual in nature.”
Uber, which has been reeling from issues stemming from its corporate culture, has grappled with several high-profile cases of driver misconduct.
Gargac could not immediately be reached for comment by CNBC.