Long-time Canberran Waseem Akram says he is considering giving up his livelihood after a late shift in the nightclub district last week.
The rideshare driver was in a parked vehicle on London Circuit halfway through his shift when he was allegedly harassed and threatened by a group of young people on e-scooters.
"I was totally nervous," he told this masthead. "It was a terrible experience."
The incident, between midnight and 1am in the early hours of September 5, occurred after a boy randomly opened his door prompting Mr Akram to step out and say: "Please don't do this."
The group allegedly followed him to Bunda Street and Mort Street where he heard a "big bang" after one of them allegedly hit the side of his car.
"The older-looking one came to me and said 'Oi, don't talk to us, don't look at us, otherwise we are going to burn your car, we are going to smash your windows'," Mr Akram alleged.
"I thought they are just kids ... I just like laughed, then he stopped and said to me they were going to punch me if I laughed or looked at them."
Reeling from the alleged threats, Mr Akram said he thought of his wife and children and dialled 000 fearing he might be followed home.
It feels like trauma to me, I am still thinking about it ... I can't trust anybody now.
The Canberra Times was on Mort Street when Mr Akram appeared shaken up and was seen pointing out the group to police officers patrolling the area.
Three officers were seen speaking to the group before asking Mr Akram about damage to his vehicle.
One of the accused members appeared to have seriously injured his hand. The group was seen entering another rideshare vehicle and leaving the area shortly afterwards.
An ACT Policing spokesman confirmed to this masthead the matter was under investigation.
Rattled by the alleged confrontation, Mr Akram said he cut his shift short and drove home replaying the night in his mind.
He said the group's alleged harassment and threats of violence were racially motivated, and he felt the mental toll two nights later when a passenger outside a Kambah club began shouting aggressively over a map routing error.
Mr Akram said he would have brushed it off in the past, but found himself immediately locking his car doors and cancelling the ride.
"It feels like trauma to me, I am still thinking about it ... I can't trust anybody now," Mr Akram, who no longer feels safe driving at night, said.
"Some people just don't realise how an Uber driver is surviving. In this time of inflation, we have to drive more hours to fulfill the needs of the family."
Mr Akram said he was aware of friends, acquaintances and other rideshare drivers who did not disclose aggression and racism out of fear or lack of awareness.
"Honestly, they don't have the courage to tell others," Mr Akram, who feels anti-immigrant sentiment is on the rise because of divisive politics online, said.
"I can't hang my passport or citizenship certificate around my neck to show people all the time that I am an Australian citizen."
"I don't want this to happen to me or anyone else again," he said. "I really want this to be 'safe Canberra', as I felt in the last 12 years."
