Lucy Thomas was subjected to homophobic slurs from an Uber driver. Credit:Anu Kumar "He went on a bit of a rant; he was cheery and jovial but he was using really offensive language," she says. Thomas told John she was offended by his words, which she says also included "Abo", "spastic", "retard" and "a six letter word with two Gs". "He was saying it's okay for him to use that word ['Abo'] because he has Aboriginal blood," Thomas says. Turning point

John asked if the couple was gay. When Thomas' girlfriend answered "yes", "that's when he really changed", Thomas says. Lucy Thomas, right, with her sister Rosie, both co-founders of Project Rockit. Credit:Graham Tidy "He stopped being cheery and a cloud came over him. He was very aggressive and the tone changed." She recorded what followed next on her smartphone. Thomas asked why John thought it was okay to use offensive language.

"What, are you going to give me a one [star] rating and make a complaint [to Uber], and when I write my report about two faggots who don't like being called faggots, then what are they going to say?" said John. At this point, says Thomas, John had arrived at her house but the car doors were locked. You can hear the doors unlock in the recording. John then tells his passengers to get out of the car, and threatens to "drag" them out when they continue questioning him. "When we got out we were shaking," Thomas says. "I sound quite confident in the recording but I was terrified, it was really scary.

"We got out of the car and as we were walking to the front door he sat in the car watching us and then drove away really slowly giving us this stare." Thomas says the Uber customer service person she spoke with about the incident was "absolutely wonderful" and that generally Uber is a safer option for women travelling at night than waiting on the street for a regular taxi. However she remained concerned for safety because John knew her address, and Uber wouldn't tell her the outcome of her complaint due to "privacy issues". An Uber spokesperson has since confirmed with Fairfax it "removed the driver from the platform" as soon as it became aware of the incident. "Uber does not tolerate any form of discrimination, and we have been in contact with this rider to offer our support," the spokesperson said.