What is the Lyft driver cat tux drama? Fiasco explored as pet reunites with owner days later 

Palash Pandey, a resident from Austin, Texas, recently shared his experience with a mobility service called Lyft. He took to X (formerly Twitter) on October 1 and wrote that the driver of the car he booked on the application drove off while Palash’s cat, Tux, was still inside the vehicle.

The incident took place on Saturday, September 30, and a series of posts from both the cat owner and the rideshare company seized the attention of other social media users. Palash shared screenshots of his numerous attempts to contact the driver to get Tux back, but it was futile, and when he did speak to the driver, he was told that the driver did not have his cat.

The cat owner then called 911, but they transferred his call to 311 to file a report, but it was of no avail. Palash also contacted Lyft to inform them about the incident and asked for their assistance in finding his cat. He expressed that he was not content with the service provider’s response.

The rideshare company also shared a post about Tux and asked the people of Austin to help locate the cat. Ultimately, on October 2, Tux was safely reunited with Palash Pandey.

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How did the Lyft driver drive off with Tux? Further details explored

Palash commented under the thread of his main post that he was taking Tux to her veterinarian appointment at Banfield Pet Hospital on Saturday on the rideshare service. The cat owner wrote that he was sitting behind the driver while Tux was kept inside a cat carrier on the passenger side’s back seat floor.

Palash recounted the distressing experience and said that he banged on the car’s windows to make the Lyft driver notice him and stop the vehicle, but he drove away instead.

“Before I could open the door, the driver started driving. I banged on the back and passenger windows and screamed running behind him but he drove off,” he tweeted.

While speaking about the incident with KXAN, Palash Pandey shared that the driver called him about three hours later and said he was unaware of the Tux’s whereabouts.

“He said that he had riders right out after my dropoff, said that he went to pick up people right after he dropped me off,” Palash said.

At one point in their conversation on the application's messaging option, the cat owner even asked the driver if he wanted money in exchange for returning Tux. Later, the driver called Palash again to tell him that the Austin Police Department contacted him regarding the missing cat.

The driver also allegedly told him that he was allergic to felines, so he would have canceled the ride if he knew Palash was taking his cat with him in the car.

Palash shared certain details about the driver from the Lyft app. The driver goes by the name Daniel, but Palash didn't disclose Daniel's number and urged others not to post further personal or private details about the driver.

On October 2, the desperate search for Tux finally came to an end as investigators found her in a building that belonged to a real estate agency. They did not find the carrier Tux had been in.

Palash shared that Tux looked exhausted and dehydrated and was covered in fleas. Though she started eating, the cat owner mentioned that he would monitor her condition and take her to the vet once she calmed down.

Later, under the same thread, Palash Pandey shared a heartwarming picture with Tux after their visit to the vet. He informed others that Tux was in good health and thanked everyone for helping him find the cat.

Lyft also shared the update on their feed and affirmed that the company was actively working with everyone involved in the incident to understand the circumstances.

"We must do better in how we support our community. And, we will," the company tweeted.

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What happened to Daniel, the Lyft driver?

Lyft has not shared any direct comment about Daniel, who drove off with Tux on Saturday. Nor did they share any further details about the current status of his employment at the company.

However, before Tux was found, the rideshare service CEO, David Risher, shared his statement on X, requesting others not to attack the driver virtually. Risher reasoned that Daniel had already received “unwarranted threats” and had been equally distraught.

David Risher also revealed that Lyft had deactivated Daniel’s account on the application for the time being.