The Blueline cabbie caught on video in a profanity-laced confrontation with an Uber driver says he regrets how he acted, but wants people to use their heads before jumping to conclusions about the type of person he is.

In an exclusive interview with the Sun, Walid Salika, a political science grad at Carleton University and former federal strategic analyst, says he’s upset the 81-second video is now what defines him in the public’s eye.

“Everyone gets caught in a moment where they lose their temper. It should not be reflective of that person,” says Salika, 30, who is a union representative and has been driving cabs for the past four years to pay his student debt. “That brief 81-second video now defines me.

“I hope we as a society can look at the bigger picture and think about what caused this person to act like that.”

More importantly, he says, is the underlying issue that Uber drivers are allowed to swoop in and steal fares from legitimate taxi drivers who have to sometimes remortgage their homes just to pay for a plate that can cost up to $300,000.

Uber drivers only need a clean car and a few hours to spare to make extra cash. Most drivers don’t rely on the ride-hailing service as their full-time job. Uber itself states just 8% of its drivers were unemployed before becoming an UberX driver.

“This is victim shaming. We’re allowing a large segment of society to become victimized, marginalized and oppressed because the very income they require to help pay for these strict laws is being cut into by those not following those laws,” Salika says.

That thought, he says, was playing in the back of his mind when he saw the Uber driver pick up a customer.

The video, recorded outside the Chateau Laurier hotel Friday night, has been viewed more than 500,000 times on YouTube. It shows Salika calling the passenger a “f------ cheapskate” and him telling the Uber driver, “If I see you again, you’re dead meat.”

What it doesn’t show, he contends, is that he was provoked into the argument by the UberX driver and his drunken passenger.

Salika has been picking up fares in front of the Chateau Laurier for years. The company pays a premium to park in front of the high-end hotel for easy access to customers.

He saw a man getting into the Uber car and says he tried to tell him what he was doing was dangerous; that UberX drivers aren’t regulated, are not screened thoroughly and don’t have commercial insurance.

'He's swearing at me...'

He says when he told the UberX driver that he can’t pick up a customer there, that’s when things went sour.

“He’s swearing at me, cussing at me. Telling me to get the F out of here,” Salika says.

That caused him to act out, Salika says.

Near the end of the video, a woman is seen holding Salika back. He says she and her group of friends were on his side and saw the situation develop.

“They were very angelic, telling me I’m better than him,” he says. “They were completely on my side and trying to console me and comfort me.”

In the aftermath of the video, Salika says he’s disheartened to read the comments from people calling him a terrorist, a “f------ raghead” and telling him to go back to his country.

Salika was born and raised in Ottawa.

He says he’s also discouraged by Mayor Jim Watson’s comments on Sunday calling his actions “completely disgusting.”

“He should be asking himself what led to this. What caused the situation? (The city) isn’t doing enough,” Salika said. He says Watson is "penalizing and shaming" taxi drivers for their reaction to an "oppressive and unfair" situation.

Police are still investigating the incident after a third-party complaint was filed. Salika says he’s not worried about any possible charges being laid against him. He has since voluntarily quit driving a cab until the investigation is complete, but says he’d like to return to his job.

Uber spokesman Xavier Van Chau said the company is aware of the video and issued the following statement: “It’s unfortunate to see ongoing intimidation tactics by taxi in Ottawa and we remain committed to supporting our driver partners and passengers.”

matt.day@sunmedia.ca

Follow @mattdaymedia