Uber’s Safety Measures Questioned As Driver Assaults Passenger

Many people have placed complaints concerning Uber drivers and the App. Well, this time Uber driver was accused of allegedly assaulting a passenger. Police arrested the driver on Wednesday for allegedly pulling a knife on a passenger and then robbing and molesting her. Many cases have been reported on such acts and they keep growing each day.

Uber provides efficiency since it connects passengers with drivers via a smartphone app but the growing ill cases about it are wanting. Since its founding in 2009, Uber has expanded across the world and now has drivers in 60 countries. But that expansion has come at a price. While Uber says safety is its “No. 1 priority,” lawmakers and government regulators have routinely criticized the company about the actual safety of its services.

Reports of sexual assaults, crimes and schemes have emerged from different countries across the globe and people are questioning Uber’s safety measures. Most recent case is where  a 42-year-old woman ordered an Uber ride at 2 a.m. The driver allegedly stopped the car in a city tunnel and stole $780, or 5,000 from the lad. He then reportedly drove to the edge of town, molested the woman, took photos of her and said he’d make the pictures public if she called the police. After the brutal attack, it took two weeks for the lady to report the case. CNET reports.

In Nairobi, Uber users were recently allowed to use cash. “Cash usage test indicated there was massive pent-up demand for the Uber service as new rider sign-ups and referrals increased five-fold. The number of partner drivers has also doubled over the last two months to cope with the growth in demand.” The regional general manager for Sub-Saharan Africa Alon Lits said.

China has one of the highest number of Uber users. In December, Uber touted its global success, saying that its service was used for 1 million daily rides in 2014. In his letter to investors, Kalanick said that in the last month, Uber hit the same mark in China, alone. He called the growth “remarkable and unprecedented.”

Uber is currently facing tight scrutiny from legal regulators in other countries like China. Authorities have been forced to visit different Uber offices to investigate whether they were operating illegally. In Kenya, users have raised concerns that their cards have stopped working and they are unable to clear their balances. Hapakenya claim that Uber should adopt alternative payment options like M-PESA to facilitate easy payment of outstanding bills.

Also read: Strategised wash off: This is why Google is ditching Uber

 

 

Erick Vateta564 Posts

--- Erick Vateta is a lawyer by training, poet, script and creative writer by talent, a model, and tech enthusiast. He covers International tech trends, data security and cyber attacks.

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