Uber cab drivers and safety

As an Uber cab driver, you are exposed to meeting different people from various works of life that are probably going through different situations. Sometimes, it might be really difficult to tell if a passenger you pick up is even sane or otherwise. Therefore, it is imperative to be on guard and watchful all the time so you don’t fall victim to dangerous riders. The Uber booking service is a platform that allows passengers request Uber rides from all over the city. In the Uber cities that this service is not available, other platforms have been created to facilitate booking Uber ahead. One of such platforms is the Kommen app. The Kommen app allows Uber passengers to request rides not just for immediate use but for up to 30 days in advance. The Kommen app increases the number of people who have access to the different services that Uber offers.

Uber is a large company with operations in multiple cities over the world. As an Uber driver, you are a business owner who must put customers first but should this always be the case even when the attacker isn’t the Uber passenger? Let’s review a situation encountered by an Uber driver in Chicago sometime in early 2017.

The report widely circulated has revealed that an Uber driver in Chicago was simply waiting to pick up a passenger in north suburban Evanston when 19 year old Myesha Griffin and her mother were driving through the alley. Myesha honks at the Uber driver to move his car out of her way. The driver did move up and that was meant to be the end of that if this was a regular situation.

However, Griffin pulls up beside the Uber and attacked the Uber driver. She got out and allegedly smashed the Uber car’s right side mirror with a bat. As reported by Chicago Suntimes, when the driver got out of the car, the young lady did the same thing done to the side mirror, to the driver’s neck. She attacked him, giving him a pretty nice smash. This report was confirmed by the Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney, Shawn Abraham.

Griffin’s mother, who hasn’t been charged, reportedly pulled the car away and briefly dragged the Uber driver. After successfully getting himself on his feet again, the Uber driver reported the incident to law enforcement. Since the driver was able to give a good description of the vehicle, it wasn’t long before the police found the car nearby and brought the assailant in. Griffin, who has no criminal history, was held in lieu of $100,000 bail on Saturday by Cook County Judge Peggy Chiampas. She is now being charged with aggravated battery and criminal damage because she attacked the driver. The described attack, as fast and simple as it might have sounded, sent the 27-year-old driver to the hospital where he received three staples in his neck.

As an Uber driver, be sure to always keep yourself out of harm’s way. If a passenger asks you to wait for them, be sure you are not putting other road users out and if there is any altercation, do not engage the attacker. Take down the other party’s details and report to the nearest police station.

I live in the beautiful state of mp. I am married and have four great children.