‘I’m not your servant’: Cab driver cancels ride after passenger lights cigarette, internet reacts

3 min readNew DelhiJul 10, 2026 12:36 PM IST

The passenger argues that booking the taxi gives him the freedom to smoke without seeking permission. The disagreement quickly escalates as neither side is willing to back down.

A taxi ride that appeared routine took an unexpected turn after a passenger lit a cigarette inside the cab without asking the driver. The driver’s response, captured in a now-viral video, has fuelled an online debate over passenger etiquette, personal boundaries and whether paying for a ride gives someone the right to do as they please inside another person’s vehicle.

The clip was shared on X by Lakshay Mehta and has since drawn thousands of reactions, with many users backing the driver’s decision to end the trip.

Driver-passenger confrontation

The video begins with the driver confronting the passenger after noticing him smoking in the car.

“Did you ask me before lighting a cigarette? Smoking is not allowed in my car,” the driver says. He repeatedly reminds the passenger that the cab belongs to him and that he has every right to decide what is and isn’t allowed inside it.

The passenger, however, argues that booking the taxi gives him the freedom to smoke without seeking permission. The disagreement quickly escalates as neither side is willing to back down.

Rather than continue the journey, the driver decides to end it immediately. “I am cancelling the ride. I don’t want your money. Please get out of my car. I’m a taxi driver, not your servant,” he is heard saying in the video.

The exact time and location of the incident have not been independently verified, but the video has spread widely across social media platforms.

Watch the video:

A man lights a cigarette while sitting in a cab.

CAB DRIVER: Sir, did you ask me before lighting a cigarette? Smoking is not allowed in my car.

MAN: Why should I ask you? It’s not your car, it’s a taxi. You can’t just say smoking isn’t allowed 😳

DRIVER: I am cancelling the… pic.twitter.com/INaDEp8zBS

— Lakshay Mehta (@lakshaymehta08) July 8, 2026

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Internet backs the driver

The incident has prompted a larger discussion online about respecting someone else’s property and maintaining basic courtesy during shared rides. Many users argued that paying for a cab does not give passengers unrestricted rights over the driver’s personal vehicle.

One user wrote, “Cab driver is 100% right … Just by booking a ride, a passenger doesn’t own a car or driver … I fully support him … Well done brother.”

Another commented, “Hats off to the cab driver for standing firm. Civic sense has gone for a toss in our society. People think they have brought the cab just by booking a ride.”

A third user highlighted the discomfort caused by second-hand smoke, writing, “Smokers don’t understand how much trouble non-smokers face when someone is smoking beside them.”

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Another social media user defended the driver’s stand, saying, “To everyone saying the driver was rude and that this wasn’t a big deal: I think part of that reaction comes from a sense of superiority, where people instinctively expect the driver to be inferior and tolerate behaviour they wouldn’t accept themselves. The passenger was also rude, but many people seem to have overlooked that. It’s similar to visiting someone’s home and lighting a cigarette inside without asking. Most people would consider that disrespectful. Why should it be any different when it’s someone else’s car?”