Experience with taxi driver not talking to women?

To preface all of this, I’m from the Midwest but have lived in Seattle for 15 years. I am experienced with people from a lot of cultures by way of my teaching, and I understand that sometimes people are just in moods. *

Tonight, my husband and I got a taxi from SEATAC, which we often do when returning, and I had the weirdest experience.

The taxi driver insisted I sit behind him, despite my husband and I equally stepping up to get a ride. The driver specifically told me to come around to the other side of the car (I thought, in the moment, his back passenger door wasn’t working, but he told my partner to get in on the other side). Then, he ignored my saying our destination and asked that “sir” tell him where we were going.

Along the drive, he wouldn’t address me, but asked my partner about our destination, our trip, MY family, etc.

My partner is great and either literally (and/or by way of his discomfort) kept deferring to me for details of our trip and how best to get to where we live when asked. I had the answers, but I was clearly not welcome to give them.

I’m so angry at myself for getting the taxi number but not the company, so I can’t even write to them.

This is just a rant, but this is truly something I hadn’t experienced in Seattle.

*I also totally understand that this sort of microaggression is nothing compared to those experienced by anyone of color. Hence the “rant” tag.

**Edited an hour later to acknowledge: this may have been a culturally-specific sign of respect to me or my partner. Despite my use of “I’m so angry at myself” above, I wasn’t angry at anyone else. Not trying to ruin anyone’s livelihood (hence the “rant” on Reddit instead of actually being a jerk). I really did just want to think through it.