Refusal of app driver in BH angers mother of autistic child

A 37-year-old self-employed professional, Elisa Albuquerque, reported having been prevented from taking a trip using a transport app in Belo Horizonte, after a disagreement with an Uber driver. The incident, which occurred on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, in the Vila Jardim São José neighborhood, in the Pampulha Region, gained prominence on social media after Elisa shared a video detailing the situation. In her version, the mother stated that the driver did not start the race after she and her two-year-old daughter got into the vehicle.

The mother said that the driver remained looking at the side of the car and refused to start the journey. “He said: ‘no, you can cancel the race, I’m not going to take you with that child’. I remember I was frozen. My daughter wasn’t crying, she wasn’t dirty or anything”, declared Elisa about the initial moment of surprise and confusion.

While trying to assimilate what had happened, Elisa looked at her daughter and realized that she was holding the autism identification necklace, with the puzzle symbol. The child had placed the accessory around his neck inside the office, after becoming nervous, and kept it safe throughout the filming.

It was at that moment, observing her daughter with the necklace, that Elisa understood the driver’s real motivation. She felt diminished and powerless, a sensation she had never experienced before when getting out of the car.

After the driver refused, the woman got out of the vehicle and slammed the door, which triggered a new argument. In a recording that Mix Vale had access to, Elisa questions the driver about refusing to travel because of her daughter’s autistic condition, and he responds in an offensive way.

“When he said that word, I understood the prejudice he had towards my daughter, why he didn’t want to take us”, Elisa pointed out, emphasizing that the child was not crying, having crises or being dirty. She highlighted that the driver never mentioned the lack of a car seat as a reason for not continuing with the race.

It is essential to remember that Brazilian legislation, Law 14,071 of 2020, regulated by Resolution Contran 819 (in force since April 12, 2021), requires that children between one and four years old, or weighing up to 18 kilos, be transported in specific car seats. Additionally, Uber’s own rules establish that it is the passenger’s responsibility to provide suitable seats for children.

In an official statement, Uber reported that the interaction between the partner driver and the user was recorded by the driver’s app and reported by him. After analyzing the media by the platform’s support team, the company stated that there was no refusal to travel by the driver. Uber regretted the disagreement and declared that it was available to the competent authorities for collaboration, in accordance with the law.

The platform, however, was questioned about the specific content of the conversation between the driver and passenger, but stated that it did not have time to investigate this issue at the time.

The incident left Elisa deeply shaken. After the incident, she filed a police report and reported the facts to Uber. The Minas Gerais Civil Police (PCMG) was called to investigate the case, and Mix Vale awaits feedback on the progress of the investigation.

“I’m broken. It hurts us. I felt small and useless”, Elisa said, describing her reaction of paralysis and her inability to defend her daughter at the time of the situation.