Deaf Uber driver, whose note for passengers was viral, wins hearts again

Onur Kerey, the deaf Uber whose story was viral over three years ago, after a passenger posted a photo of his friendly sign that says he is deaf and gives tips on how to communicate with him, has caught the attention of the internet once again.

This time, another rider got assigned to Kerey’s cab in London and spotted the signboard the driver had strung to the back of the front seat. The rider, who is an editor, called the experience of travelling in that cab the “the most wholesome Uber” of his life.

“Hi, I’m Onur welcome to my Uber. I'm deaf so if you need to tell me something, please text, or when we've stopped you can write in the notepad to show me,” the driver’s message says.

“You can use the AUX cable to play your own music - if you have anything with a strong bass, I will enjoy it too. Thanks for bearing with me and have a great day,” he tells his passengers in the sign board.

Jeremy Abbott, who got a chance to ride with Kerey, tweeted the photo of the signboard. “I have just entered the most wholesome Uber of my entire life. Big ups, Onur, absolute hero.”

Kerey has also shared his Bluetooth password. In a separate post, he shared his selfie from inside the cab.

Shout out all the people who think I’ve ‘stolen’ this tweet but most of all shout out, Onur. Absolute gent pic.twitter.com/INk2x77SoY

— Jeremy Abbott (@Funster_) October 22, 2021

The first tweet, which has collected over 3,000 retweets and 54,000 ‘likes’ has warned the hearts of many on Twitter.

“It's time we recognise such heroes in all lines of work,” user Tarun Srikonda said. A woman said Onur Kerey was her driver once and that “he was the loveliest”.

Indeed wholesome! It's time we recognize such heroes in all lines of work #embracedisability https://t.co/86YWysAFCQ

— Tarun Srikonda (@tarunsrikonda) October 27, 2021

Onur was my Uber driver once and he was the loveliest! https://t.co/GnSRWLsW9Y

— Raven (@_RavenDavid) October 22, 2021

A handwritten note on a separate piece of paper is stuck on the sign. It says: “Not AUX, but you can use Bluetooth.”

In 2019, Onur Kerey said he partnered with Uber for the love of driving and also because some other cab companies do not allow deaf drivers. “The rider needs to check the mirror and wave or tap my shoulder (if the car isn’t moving) so I will know and look round to you,” he said when when Uber asked in a feature interview on what a rider should do to get his attention inside the cab.

He said that people, when they’re with a deaf cab driver, should not speak too loud or too fast “as profoundly deaf will still not hear”.