An investigation has been launched by a city taxi firm after a mum claimed she was left in tears following homophobic comments by one of its drivers.
Julie Elvin, 54, was travelling from a maternity appointment at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital to her Marlpit home last Thursday with her pregnant daughter Tara.
They allege they were having a conversation about Tara's baby’s movements when the driver joined in and mentioned his seven-year-old daughter being taught at school about "two women having a baby".
The mother and daughter were travelling with ABC Taxis, the parent company of which is "urgently" investigating the claim after being approached by this newspaper and has said it "deplores any abuse of passengers".
With a slight language barrier causing some confusion, they claim the driver then proceeded to say that two women or two men having a baby is "disgusting" and "if this is allowed the world will end".
Tara, 28, said: "The driver seemed to be getting irate even though we did not participate in the conversation, and suggested a man was not a man if he is gay."
A mum of four, two of Julie's children identify as LGBTQ+.
She says her son Harrison is gay and daughter Sophie is queer, and thanks to their acceptance in life had never experienced hate.
"When the penny dropped, we realised what he was talking about," Julie said. "It was vile.
"I wondered if I was actually hearing this, it was so surreal. I knew I had to say something."
When arriving home, they say they told the driver of their upset and how it had offended them, particularly due to the make-up of their immediate family.
The driver reportedly apologised but maintained his point of view.
"I suppose I am a bit naïve - you hear about people that hate people because of who they love but I have never actually come face to face with it," Julie added.
"When I got inside, I was heartbroken and stunned that people should have to go through that.
"It felt personal, like he was telling me that my son was less of a man because of who he loves. I just wanted to hug my son to protect him.
"Norwich is full of LGBTQ+ people so he would have come across them before and it's horrible to know he has these prejudices against them."
Tara has since lodged a formal complaint with ABC Taxis, which has been operating in Norwich since 1994.
The firm announced in November that its fleet of 340 taxis had new owners as digital hire firm Veezu had completed a takeover.
A spokesman for the Wales-based firm said: “We have been made aware of alleged comments made by a driver-partner on a journey in Norwich.
"The company deplores any abuse of passengers, and particularly such comments as the ones alleged.
"We are therefore urgently investing this complaint."
One of Norfolk's largest taxi firms, ABC states on its website that it is "committed to achieving the best customer service possible" and says its drivers are "positive, self-motivated and passionate individuals who are committed to doing their best".
The firm’s drivers are not employed directly by ABC and operate as self-employed under the brand name.
Of the incident, Tara concluded: "We were shocked at what we had just listened to, how he was ranting and getting angry although he was the only one in the conversation.
"We continued the rest of the journey in silence as we wanted to make sure we got home and he didn’t start driving erratically because we disagreed with his comments."
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