A ride-share driver went viral when he filmed an item exchange after an Uber passenger stole his iPad but the passenger left their phone in the backseat.
TikTok creator Karan Singh (@karanexplores) posted the video to document the strange interaction with the would-be thief. Viewed more 75,000 times and garnering over 2,200 likes as of publication, the video sparked a dialogue on how to best handle theft.
@karanexplores Why’d I say thank you for getting my stolen ipad back and he didn’t even say sorry. 🙄 hahahaha #karanexplores #fyp #thief #uber ♬ Blinding Lights – Instrumental – The Weeknd
The video began with the camera facing the driver side window while an instrumental of “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd plays in the background.
A text overlay read: “INSTANT KARMA: Uber passenger steals my iPad but forgets his phone in my backseat.”
After Singh rolled down his window he picked up the passenger’s phone and held out his hand. The passenger walked up, and they made the exchange. Both men thank one another as they hand back each other’s property. The video concluded with the passenger strolling off.
In the description, Karan wrote: “Why’d I say thank you for getting my stolen iPad back and he didn’t even say sorry.”
Some sympathized with Karan’s predicament, claiming that they can also be polite to a fault.
“As someone who grew up with manners, I know I would’ve said thank you too and then be kicking myself for saying it. Glad karma came swift,” a user said.
“So polite,” a second added.
“Bro have no enemies,” a third replied.
Most believed he should have damaged the phone or refused to return it, so the thief learned his lesson.
“Ya should yeeted that phone out your passenger side window once you had your iPad!!” a user exclaimed.
“I woulda sped off as soon as he gave me my iPad,” a second agreed.
“Should’ve done the exchange at a police station,” a third added.
“Man the minute he handed me my iPad I would’ve drove off and flung his phone out the window,” a fourth said.
The Daily Dot reached out to Karan via TikTok comments and Uber via email for further information.
While Uber offers insurance in case of crashes, they allegedly do not have any policy or protections for driver’s personal property. For example, in 2017, a woman reached into a tip jar on the center console and took a handful of cash before leaving. Even though this was caught on camera, the only ramifications for the user was being removed from Uber’s platform.
Another driver learned that there are few protections for drivers after a customer mistakenly took his car speaker while unloading her groceries. According to the article, he was forced to drive half an hour out of his way to retrieve his speaker. When the customer offered to pay the $15 lost item fee, Uber refused to process it because the policy only related to customer items.
Uber did update their app with multiple tools for their drivers, including upfront fares and trip radar. Drivers are also able to cancel rides during transportation for any reason. However, there’s a noticeable gap in the protections companies like Uber offer their contract employees’ possessions.