In December of 2015, a woman named Babli went into labor in Delhi, India. After repeatedly attempting to call an ambulance (her calls went unanswered), she decided to hail an Uber.
Uber driver Shahnawaz picked her up and started heading toward the hospital, but soon realized that Babli’s labor was too far along to make the trip. So he parked the car and helped her deliver the baby. He said,
I pulled out the towels from the seats and poured some drinking water into a bowl. The child was born within minutes and I was really happy to see that he was responding.
Shahnawaz then continued on to the hospital.
In gratitude, Babli’s family asked Shahnawaz to name the baby. Shahnawaz chose the name Uber, in honor of the company he worked for.
Update, Jan. 2017: Baby Uber recently turned 1, and one of the birthday gifts he received was a $12,000 scholarship (toward higher education) from Uber CEO Travis Kalanick.
Source: “Baby born in Uber cab, named after firm.” Times of India 12 Dec. 2015.
Image: Adapted from Traffic Jam – Maa Flyover – Kolkata by Biswarup Ganguly under CC BY 3.0.
[Latest update: Sept. 2024]