Australian woman lauds Mumbai Uber driver who bought her water, kebabs during traffic jam: 'Next level icons'
Australian woman in Mumbai praises Uber driver who, during Chhath Puja traffic, bought her water and kebabs and refused payment, calling him “next-level icon".
An Australian woman living in Mumbai has won hearts online after praising an Uber driver who went out of his way to make her journey comfortable during heavy traffic caused by Chhath Puja celebrations.
Bree Steele, a podcaster and content creator who has been living in India since 2023, shared a video on Instagram titled “Uber drivers in India are next-level icons”. In the clip, she narrated the incident, explaining that her Uber ride, which was supposed to be 15 minutes long, turned into a nearly two-hour journey due to traffic during the Chhath Puja festivities.
Steele said that they were stuck at one spot for nearly 30 minutes when her Uber driver stepped out of the vehicle and returned with bottled water for her. When she offered to pay him back, the driver refused and said, “You are our guest.”
Then, as the traffic continued to move slowly, Steele said that the driver once again got out and this time came back with kebabs and canned rinks so they wouldn’t remain hungry. “He was just the best,” she said, adding how touched she was by his kindness.
In the caption, Steele shared more details. “Uber drivers in India, or maybe just Mumbai, are icons! He stopped and bought us water, kebabs, and a can of soft drink,” she said. She added that she had experienced several acts of kindness from drivers in the city. “One got me through floodwaters to the airport on time. One driver stopped to retrieve my shoe which fell out of the auto. And now this!” she wrote.
Steele also jokedd that no one warned her about the traffic chaos during Chhath Puja. “Why do all my best stories in India involve an Uber driver?” she jokingly said in the clip.
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Social media reactions
The video has since gone viral, drawing hundreds of comments from users who appreciated the driver’s gesture.
“Thanks to the Uber driver for keeping indians pride up.. And thank you for spreading positivity.. in India we say ‘atithi devo bhavah’ it means - ‘Our guests are like god to us,’” one user wrote.
“Nice to commend when due, always nice to praise these guys who often get criticised and overlooked. These are our true ambassadors and make our journeys memorable,” commented another.
“Thanks to the Uber driver for keeping Indians’ pride up. And thank you for spreading positivity,” wrote a third user.
“Luck favours the kind hearted,” another user wrote.
