Conservative Writer Shares HORRIFYING Uber Experience

I’ve gone on HUNDREDS of Uber rides. I travel a lot – often alone.  They’re incredibly convenient, and often more affordable than taxis.

Lately, I’ve used Lyft more often – if only because I usually get a better deal.

I’m sure someone’s gonna have something to say about it. “It’s just not saaaafe for a woman to do that,” right? Well, my friends, there are a lot of potentially dangerous things out there. The odds of having something terrible happen on a ride share or a cab are probably less than those of getting in a car accident.

Should I stop driving, too?

No. No, I shouldn’t. I refuse to be paralyzed by fear. Rather – I am ALWAYS aware of my surroundings, and I ALWAYS have a plan. In fact – I WAS similarly “extorted” on a cab ride once… but that happened in Vietnam, and is a long story for another time. What I’m getting at is the fact that I handled that juuuuust fine. I’m not afraid of an Uber.

I start any Uber, Lyft, or taxi ride where I don’t feel 100% comfortable with my driver by letting them know my “boyfriend” or “dad” is waiting for me at my final destination. I’ve had ONE ask me why my boyfriend wasn’t picking me up himself. Was he not home, or “did he just not care about me?” This made me uneasy. I responded that he works long hours, so I figured I’d just save him trip, but that he’s expecting me. He didn’t ask any more awkward questions.

It’s SO important, ESPECIALLY as a woman, to always be aware of your surroundings, and always be in control of the situation. Honestly… it’s a huge part of the reason I don’t really drink anymore. I’ll have a glass of wine, sure. But not much more… I’ve seen too much happen to too many people.

All that said, Conservative writer Peter Hasson just tweeted about his friend’s HORRIFIC experience in an Uber…and it reminds me EXACTLY why my guard is NEVER down:

I generally dislike when people use social media to yell at brands but a) this didn’t happen to me b) it’s genuinely alarming how @Uber handled this 1/

— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) December 15, 2018

I ordered an Uber home for a friend on Tuesday a little after midnight. She had been drinking a bit but not as much as her driver seemed to have thought 2/

— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) December 15, 2018

When they arrived at her apartment complex, she tried to get out but the doors stayed locked — he wouldn’t let her out of the car until she gave him a tip. He took all the cash from her wallet. 3/

— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) December 15, 2018

Uber forbids drivers from accepting cash tips — much less demanding them from passengers the driver thinks might be an easy mark. This was theft. Straight up. 4/

— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) December 15, 2018

She and I both reached out to Uber about it. They closed her complaint almost immediately because it wasn’t her account that ordered the ride. 5/

— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) December 15, 2018

I reached out to Twitter the day after it happened and demanded answers. They thanked me for my concern and told me they would look into it. This evening they assured me they would investigate — but then insisted that the results of their investigation remain secret.

— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) December 15, 2018

In short: that’s bullshit. As far as anybody knows, this driver — who again *stole money from a rider he thought was vulnerable* — is still driving around and intimidating young women into giving him money. And sorry but taking Uber’s corporate PR assurances won’t cut it.

— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) December 15, 2018

Uber has given no reason to believe they take the safety of their riders seriously. Again: this is nothing short of alarming, @Uber

— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) December 15, 2018

Ok. THIS IS F*CKED UP.

Let me make ABUNDANTLY CLEAR that I am not “victim blaming.” What happened to this woman is REPREHENSIBLE, and is ENTIRELY on this driver.

That being said, as someone who travels/doesn’t trust humans to act like humans, here’s what I would have done:

As SOON as the situation got weird, start recording it on your phone. Not in a noticeable way, as to set the person being recorded off. But make sure you have it recorded. If a clear image isn’t being captured (as in – you just start the video and discretely put it in your purse to record audio) make sure you’re saying as many DETAILS as you can out loud so that audio will suffice to explain the situation.

Obviously, if you feel you’re in DANGER, hand over the money and GET OUT – but if you’re recording, make sure you say something like “I have X amount in my wallet. You want ALL of it before you’ll let me out?” You now have clear evidence to take to the police.

If you don’t feel like you’re in immediate danger, you could also say something like – “Oh wow, I don’t have cash on me, but I can tip you through the app! If not, I can call my boyfriend – he’s right upstairs and has cash. He can bring it down.” Chances are the idea of getting someone else involved will scare the driver off and he’ll try and pretend nothing weird ever happened.

So no – don’t live in fear. Chances are nothing like this will ever happen to you – but you can’t always rely on chance. So be vigilant, and be prepared.

Oh yeah – and I just deleted Uber off my phone. I really HAVE had better experiences with Lyft, anyway.