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Is riding an Uber safe?

The answer is sometimes. Just yesterday, a truly scary situation evolved in the Denver metro area, where an Uber customer had an Uber come to her home and pick her up for a ride to the airport. The driver showed up on time, luggage went into the trunk and passenger into the back seat. Then as the ride progressed the driver indicated that he wasn’t going to take his customer to the airport, but rather he was going to take her to a different location, a hotel.

The passenger, rightly, asked to be allowed to exit. Driver locked the doors. Passenger banged on the windows making a rukus, which drew the attention of nearby construction workers. Driver allowed passenger to exit and then after she beat on the trunk, the trunk was opened and passenger retrieved her suitcase. Driver then sped off.

Passenger contacted Uber via Twitter (we reached out to the company for comment, but did not hear back from their press communications team). Later in the day, the customer reported she had made contact with the company and they are dealing with the situation.

Here’s how that event played out. Let’s start with the ending … the passenger arrived safely at the airport.

Hey folks, thanks for the concern and nice messages. Just wanted to say I’m fine (and I made my flight). I've been in touch with @Uber and they're investigating.

— Nancy Leong (@nancyleong) April 17, 2018

The first tweet on Tuesday morning from the passenger to Uber and the twitterverse.

Hey @Uber your driver was taking me to the airport. He said he was going to “take me to a hotel” and got off the highway. We got to a stop light. I started yelling “let me out of the fucking car” and he wouldn’t unlock the doors.

— Nancy Leong (@nancyleong) April 17, 2018

This tweet was followed by many more, detailing her experience. And yes, we are all asking ourselves why she chose not to dial 911. Next time she will, this time she brought the twitterverse into her situation.

Brandon Rittiman of Denver’s 9News, picked up the Twitter thread and brought it to the attention of Denver Police department. They responded within minutes with exactly what each of us would want … have the individual call the police at a given number.

Rittiman filed his story, and while we don’t know what happened to the driver, we do know that the passenger truly dodged a dangerous situation.

Staying safe using Uber - 3 tips to stay safe

What we do know is that there are a gaggle of actions we can take to lower the odds that something untoward will occur. And to their credit, Uber is taking steps to increase the safety of their clients with some updates to their app.

Match the name of the driver, the make and model of the vehicle and the license plate number with that which you have been provided by Uber
While you are waiting, share your trip details with at least one family member or friend. This ensures that someone knows where you are supposed to be, and an approximate time of arrival. You should be able to SHARE this info (to include driver info) via the Uber app.
Never ride in the front seat, if riding alone. With a group of four, sometimes it is necessary for one to ride up front. With a group of four, such should be safe.

Uber safety upgrades coming to the app

Uber announced this week the realized they can increase the safety of their passengers, but making the app serve as a service tool for the passengers in the event of an emergency.

Safety Center — intergrated into the app, with localized information.
Trusted Contacts - up to five friends can be designated as “trusted contacts” and you will be prompted to send details during every trip.
911 Assistance - from the app, a rider can call 911. The service will integrate the ability for Uber to send your location and all other ride details to the 911 dispatcher. Ironically, this tool will be first staged and tested in Denver.
Driver Screening - Uber has pledged to run and rerun background checks, criminal records checks, and motor vehicle checks on an annual basis.