Every pro has a counteracting con to it. Private cab companies that make travelling just a click away for you sound like God’s gift to commuter-kind. But there have been enough cases of abuse and lack of responsibility on these companies’ part to somewhat deter our faith in them. Adding to the long list of such cases is yet another one, this time involving an Uber driver in Bengaluru.
This afternoon, Yash Shah, a techie from Bengaluru, narrated his harrowing experience while travelling to his office in an Uber cab, which left him with a bleeding mouth and a broken phone.
According to Shah, his Uber driver, one Mohammed Farhan M, was a recent addition to the cab company’s fleet of drivers; merely a week old. He drove rashly without wearing his seat belt, and when Shah tried to correct him, the driver spoke to him rudely.
Shah’s continuous insistence irked the driver to a point where he stopped the car in the middle of nowhere. When Shah tried to take his picture for record, the driver snatched his phone and threw it away, and even punched Shah in the face.
Uber driver assaulted and threatened to kill!Had a horrible experience with Uber today. I was riding in an Uber to my office and my Uber driver who just joined uber this week was riding rashly. I asked him to drive properly and to put the seatbelt on. He responded in a very rude manner saying "Who are you to tell me all this? I will drive the way I want!". I kept on insisting about this as I was very uncomfortable with his driving. He stopped the car in the middle of nowhere and ended my trip right there. There is no SOS button in the Uber app after the trip ends and there was no way to get in contact with Uber and he took the benefit of that. I requested him to drop me at my office but he said: "Do whatever you want but I won't drop you". I came out of the car to take his picture, and he then started shouting at me. I then walked back towards the car to get my laptop bag and he stood in front of the door and did not let me take my bag. I then started taking his video and then he snatched my phone and threw it away on the ground and punched me in my face which caused bleeding in my teeth. I then again tried to contact Uber and there was no help at all. I then started shouting at him and told him that I will report this to police – He then started threatening me that he knows my address and number and he will make sure he will torture and kill me with his gang. Few guys helped me and I was able to escape out of this alive with my bag and broken phone, but Uber I want to know what actions are you taking against this and how can I be sure that I'm safe riding with you again?Driver Name: Mohammed Farhan MVehicle Registration number: KA 04 AA 7422#uber #safety #concerns #misconduct #assault #manhandling #bangalore #police
Posted by Yash Shah on Thursday, December 21, 2017
Since the driver had abruptly ended the trip, Shah could not even avail the SOS button facility that Uber provides in its app for the customers to seek help in case of danger during a ride.
Repeated attempts to contact the cab company failed. Shah’s laptop bag was still in the cab and the driver was blocking his way. A few people rushed to help him and Shah managed to retrieve his belongings. But not before a chilling parting shot from the driver from hell.
“He then started threatening me that he knows my address and number and he will make sure he will torture and kill me with his gang.”
Rattled to the core by this horrific incident, and with no ‘customer support’ from Uber’s end, Shah sought help from the one place that never disappoints: social media. You can read his entire Facebook post here.
Uber driver assaulted and threatened to kill!
Had a horrible experience with Uber today. I was riding in an Uber to my office and my Uber driver who just joined uber this week was riding rashly. I asked him to drive properly and to put the seatbelt on. He responded in a very rude manner saying “Who are you to tell me all this? I will drive the way I want!”
I kept on insisting about this as I was very uncomfortable with his driving. He stopped the car in the middle of nowhere and ended my trip right there. There is no SOS button in the Uber app after the trip ends and there was no way to get in contact with Uber and he took the benefit of that. I requested him to drop me at my office but he said: “Do whatever you want but I won’t drop you.”
I came out of the car to take his picture, and he then started shouting at me. I then walked back towards the car to get my laptop bag and he stood in front of the door and did not let me take my bag. I then started taking his video and then he snatched my phone and threw it away on the ground and punched me in my face which caused bleeding in my teeth.
I then again tried to contact Uber and there was no help at all. I then started shouting at him and told him that I will report this to police – He then started threatening me that he knows my address and number and he will make sure he will torture and kill me with his gang. Few guys helped me and I was able to escape out of this alive with my bag and broken phone, but Uber I want to know what actions are you taking against this and how can I be sure that I’m safe riding with you again?
Uber, a company based in San Francisco, California, is notorious for its non-existent customer support in India. In practically every incident involving Uber, one of the chief concerns has been the company’s apathy towards their customers’ plight. There is an in-app grievance submission form, but no actual redressal forum manned by human customer service executives.
Till then, social media seems like the only way to get the authorities’ attention. Here’s hoping he Bengaluru police take cognizance of this offense and tender appropriate punishment. As for Uber, get your customer support sorted, bruh!
Uber reached out to us to clarify their stand. Its official statement says,
“What’s been described has no place on our app. Our community guidelines clearly rejects such inappropriate behaviour. Upon learning about this incident, we immediately removed the driver’s access to the app. We will support the law enforcement authorities in their investigation and proceedings in any way possible.”