When Uber Drivers Cross Boundaries
Many people, myself included, are attracted to Uber for its convenience and speedy service. However, there are alarming reports of Uber drivers harassing women passengers.
I am one of them — one of many. For statistics on this problem, Buzzfeed published an article exposing this dark side of Uber. It reported that Uber has had 5,827 complaints in relation to rape and over 6,000 for sexual assault. Uber, attempting to clear the air, revealed that they have received only (I say this lightly) 175 reports of sexual assault, just five of which were claims of rape. If this doesn't make you nervous, or even slightly cautious, let me tell you my story.
Two years ago when I was living in Baltimore, Maryland, I was getting off of work one day. I didn’t drive to the office that day and my parents couldn’t pick me up, so I ordered an Uber car. When the car arrived and I got in, the male driver immediately began speaking to me flirtatiously, assuming that I was into it just as much as he was. He kept talking during the entire ride to my house. When we were about five minutes away, he asked me if he could cancel the ride and take me out for something to eat. In his words, "so we can get to know each other." I politely said no and asked to be dropped off at my destination. After that, he addressed me only for clarification on directions.
Image Credit: Shutterstock/Travel_Master
My neighborhood is not set up in a typical suburban way. The houses have more distance between them because everyone on my street has land attached to their homes. To approach my house you have to drive down a long driveway. Once you reach the end, you find two houses. My house is on the right. We're the only two families at the end of the driveway. The other homes are far away.
Basically, my house is the perfect murder spot. If no one was home, no one would see or hear anything.
When the Uber driver pulled up, I immediately noticed that my neighbors weren't home. I knew my parents were at work. I was alone, with this Uber driver. As I unbuckled my seatbelt he turned off the engine. The car was now in park. Attempting to avoid any conflict, I said "thank you, have a great day" and got out, walking around the back of the car. When I reached the other side, he was standing outside of the car three feet away. He was over six feet tall, but it felt that he was three times my size.
My heart started racing.
He winked at me and said: "Let me come inside with you, we can get to know each other better."
I said, "No, I can't invite you in, I don’t even know you!"
That didn’t stop him. He stepped towards me, only inches away, towering tall. He put his hand above my chest. I held my breath.
He said: "Your heart isn't racing, you must not be nervous." Then he took his hand off of my chest and smiled. "I really want to kiss you right now" he said.
Image Credit: Shutterstock/Chayatorn Laorattanavech
I stepped back. He reached out and grabbed me, giving me a hug, asking me if he could get my number. I was terrified.
He offered me his number. Pretending to cooperate, I typed it into my phone. Before he walked away, he smiled and said: "I'll be back tomorrow so we can get to know each other."
When this frightening ordeal was over, I emailed Uber and told them everything that had happened. Uber's incident response team emailed me back promptly and apologized for the incident. Veronica, the women at Uber who responded to me, informed me that they would contact to the driver and review whether he would still be driving for them. Uber refunded me my money. That was that. I don’t know if the driver still drives for Uber.
Image Credit: Shutterstock/Marco Voltolini
I'm not telling you my story with the intention of scaring you, I am telling you with your safety in mind. I'm very lucky that nothing more happened to me. I came close to being one of the other 6,000 cases filed. It's not Uber itself that is the problem, but the drivers that they hire. No matter where you are, or who you are, there is no guarantee that taxi services will be 100% safe.
If you are ever in a situation and need help, contact local authorities. On your AUP ID, there are many emergency contacts which will help.
