Woman called police after abruptly ending ‘uncomfortable’ Uber ride in Bluffton area, report says
A New York woman ended her Uber ride to Okatie abruptly Thursday when she noticed the driver was ignoring the GPS, had a video camera aimed at the backseat, and asked her questions that made her “uncomfortable,” according to a Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office report.
The woman arrived at the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport at noon and ordered an Uber using the mobile app, the report said. A male driver in a silver Honda CR-V with Georgia license plates picked her up.
As they were driving, the driver asked her if she was single, if she was staying with someone, if she knew the area well, and if she’d “ever consider marrying a Hispanic guy,” the report said.
While they were on U.S. 278 in the Okatie-Bluffton area , the woman noticed the man appeared to be driving in circles and she saw the arrival time on her phone jump from two minutes to 12 minutes, so she told the driver he’d missed the turn, the report said.
According to the report, he told her he knew the way and that’s how the GPS was taking him.
She told him she was meeting her friend at a nearby bank, so he pulled into the parking lot. She pointed out that they could see the hotel from the parking lot and he offered to drive her there, the report said.
She refused and demanded he let her out of the car, which she couldn’t get out of herself because the child locks were on, the report said.
She went into the bank with her luggage and called her brother because the driver was still waiting in the parking lot, the report said.
The woman told the deputy writing the report that the driver had a video camera on his dashboard that was aimed toward the backseat and used the drop-down mirror in the sunglasses holder to look at her with.
Her brother eventually arrived on scene and helped her get to her hotel safely.
The woman told police she “only wished for this guy to no longer be able to drive with Uber.”
Jodi Page, an Uber spokesperson, said the woman filed complaint and Uber is investigating the incident.
She recommended that riders follow the safety tips listed on Uber’s website including sharing ride details with a friend, which is an option available on the app that will send another party details of driver and location of the ride.
She also said passengers should “end the ride at any time” if they feel uncomfortable and report the incident to Uber immediately.
Page said Uber does allow drivers to film passengers during rides for “safety purposes.”
This story was originally published March 19, 2019 at 2:22 PM with the headline "Woman called police after abruptly ending ‘uncomfortable’ Uber ride in Bluffton area, report says."
