AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- An Austin man and his pet cat have been reunited after they were separated Saturday afternoon, after a Lyft driver drove away with the cat still inside the vehicle.
Palash Pandey said a team of investigators hired by Lyft found his cat, Tux, about a mile from the location where the Lyft driver dropped him off Saturday afternoon.
The pair were headed to a veterinary office; when they arrived, Pandey says he got out of the vehicle and went around to the other side to retrieve Tux's carrier. Before he could open the door, though, he said the driver began to drive away.
Pandey said he attempted to contact the driver via the Lyft app, but reached its limits on contacting a driver after a rideshare trip. He said he also attempted to contact Lyft support, but they were unresponsive.
Lyft CEO David Risher addressed the situation on X Sunday evening, calling the company's initial response "awful." He said the company has since done a lot of work behind the scenes to help bring Tux home.
Lyft users across the city - riders and drivers - reported receiving in-app notifications along with email messages about the situation Sunday evening.
Company officials said they've been in touch with the driver, and said he has been cooperative.
