Masked, vaccinated customers banned from Missouri taxi company

Charlie Bullington, owner of Yo Transportation services, told KMOV4 "We don't allow any type of masks in our vehicles, the second one is we are very against the vaccine and don't allow people in our vehicle that did get the vaccine."

Yo Transportation serves Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, Montgomery, St. Charles, St. Louis, and Warren Counties, and was started 16 years ago.

Bullington said that he reportedly verifies passengers beforehand to see if they have been vaccinated or are wearing a mask. “I understand Missouri is one of the top three states with the lowest vaccination rate, so I am proud of all the Missouri people for standing against this,” Bullington said.

According to Becker's Hospital Review, Missouri ranked 39th among states based on the percentage of population fully vaccinated as of Friday. About 42 percent of the state's population is fully vaccinated, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

In a brief interview with The Hill, Bullington said the policies were not discriminatory in nature, instead the policies were "safety protocols." Bullington said he took issue with the masks because he couldn't see customers' faces. He also claimed he knew people who had adverse reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine.

Bullington told KMOV4 that he conducted his own research into vaccines and masks, reading articles from two websites that reportedly push vaccine conspiracies.

In regards to masks, Bullington believes they are mask catchers. “Because of what they consider the shedding process, them transmitting their germs to us by contact whether it's a shake of hands, a touch,” Bullington said.

Bullington said that because of the new policy, about three in every 10 passengers choose not to ride with him. Reviewers on Yelp and Google complained about the stance taken by the company.

One reviewer told the Riverfront Times about being denied a ride, then receiving multiple texts over the next few hours from the driver. "This man spent 2 hours harassing me via text about his anti mask nonsense. I had to ask him three times to leave me alone," said the reviewer.