Taxi Driver Online

Reading the article at first I thought the lady might be overreacting, but by the end of it you think the driver has some serious questions to answer.

I was 'stalked' by my Uber driver after ride home from the shops when he told me I was beautiful

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... tiful.html (video and pictures)

A woman has been left suffering from severe anxiety after Ring doorbell footage captured her Uber driver waiting outside her house and throwing rocks at her windows during the night after dropping her off.

Ruth Ratcliffe, 26, from Manchester, took an Uber home from Aldi on Friday and said she felt 'uncomfortable' within two minutes of being in the car after the driver began making inappropriate remarks and asking intrusive questions.

Ruth, who is a full-time carer for her autistic daughter, told MailOnline: 'He was asking me where I drank and was calling me beautiful and saying there wasn't much he wouldn't do for me. He also asked who lived at home with me and my age.

'I just thought it was general chat at first but it clearly wasn't. I'd say within two minutes of being in the Uber I felt uncomfortable.'

Ruth also told the driver that she had recently been diagnosed with autism which prompted him to call her 'autistic and beautiful'.

She said: 'When he started asking me where I worked and calling me beautiful I thought "this guy is a weirdo".'

Footage captured on Ruth's Ring doorbell camera shows the Uber driver helping to carry her shopping bags to her front door at 1.45pm on October 18 as he dropped her off.

Ruth said he offered to bring her bags inside her house for her but she declined as she did not want him in her home and 'just wanted to get away from him'. He then called her dog outside to stroke it.

Ruth was shocked when her Ring doorbell camera caught the Uber driver loitering outside her house and even throwing rocks at her daughter's bedroom window the following night at around 10.50pm.

He stayed outside her house for around ten minutes before walking back to his car and driving off.

Ruth posted the clips to her TikTok account and wrote: 'Only I would end up getting stalked by an Uber driver who brought me back from Aldi.'

She has since reported the driver on the Uber app and contacted the police. Ruth said officers are coming to her house this evening and she will be giving them a statement.

The mother said: 'The Uber driver's account no longer exists after being reported.

'It's caused me severe anxiety. I suffer from anxiety anyway but it's made it 100 times worse. I should be able to get an Uber and be safe and not be stalked by a driver.'

'I am having to keep my back door shut throughout the day as I am scared so now my dog can't even go in the garden when she wants.'

Ruth had been relying on Uber to get her everywhere, including dropping her daughters to school as one of them cannot walk, as she does not have her driving licence yet but now says she will never use it again.

The whole ordeal has left the mother-of-two worried and scared for herself and her daughters.

Ruth said she also left feedback for the driver and believes he was new as his profile had no ratings from other customers.

An employee from Uber called her this morning to tell her they are 'taking it very seriously' and offered to refund the £5.50 for the trip.

An Uber spokesperson said: 'What has been described is completely unacceptable. We are investigating the incident, and if found to be accurate, we would remove a drivers' access to the app. We also stand ready to support the police with any investigation.'

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IDFIMH

Echoes of the above with this Bolt driver in Edinburgh, although this one's more conventional in that it's a late-night pick-up after a night out

In some ways a bit less full on than the Uber driver above, but more full-on in other ways


Sickened Edinburgh woman 'propositioned' by creepy private hire driver on way home

https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/ed ... y-30166091

The young woman captured video footage of the driver asking sexually inappropriate questions as soon as she entered the vehicle after being picked up on Princes Street during the early hours

A young Edinburgh woman was left feeling "sick" after being asked 'sexually inappropriate' questions by a creepy private hire driver on her way back from a night out.

The woman was out celebrating her 29th birthday on Saturday night, October 12, before booking a ride home from Princes Street through the Bolt app at around 2.30am on Sunday.

The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, says as soon as she got in the car the driver started asking her inappropriate questions and said he was "interested" in her.

Scared to reach to the sleazy driver's advances, the passenger said she laughed along out of fear for her safety until she reached her home and ran inside.

The Edinburgh local reported the incident to Bolt, as well as police and council officials who license drivers.

A spokesperson for Bolt has since confirmed when serious incidents are reported to them, the driver is immediately suspended and the firm assists local police with any investigation.

Speaking to Edinburgh Live about the terrifying experience, the woman admitted she will never get in a private hire vehicle on her own again and says the questions she was asked were "disgusting."

She said: "I got the impression I was not the first person he had done this to. It sounded like he was used to speaking to passengers that way. I booked it at around 2.30am in the morning and as soon as I got in he was saying 'you're gorgeous, I'm interested in you'.

"That's when I realised this wasn't going to be a normal ride home. That's when I started to record on my phone but he said a few more things before I managed to record.

"I was just laughing and going along with it as I thought if I say no and shut it down he may try something and I'm just on my own. I didn't ask any questions, it wasn't a conversation and I was just going silent after everything he asked me.

"It was just disgusting, I felt awkward the entire time.

"He also asked me if I was worried at one point. It's never happened to me so I didn't know what to do. In the recording you can hear him asking 'what about tonight' and then when I replied 'for what' he asked to have sex."

A recording of the conversation heard by Edinburgh Live , captures the moment the driver can be heard telling the woman he is "interested" in her before asking: "Are you worried?"

The man continued to say: "Can you tell me because I'm interested. I'm interested in you. Are you worried? Why are you quiet?"

The passenger can be heard laughing nervously before replying: "I'm tired." The man then asks: "So what do you think about tonight? We could have some fun," to which the woman replied: "My mum is home."

The driver then asks: "So would you like a s**g? Come on." He then goes on to ask more explicit questions.

The woman continued: "The journey was only about 11 minutes so I got some of it on record but he did say other things. When I was getting out he leaned back and said 'quick kiss, quick kiss' so I just slammed the door and ran into my house.

"I am just worried he may get a younger girl and go further. I don't think he should be in that job. I reported it to Bolt and sent them the video. They said thanks and they're contacting the driver.

"I asked what will happen to him but they said they can't discuss it. Now, I will never, ever, get in a private hire by myself. That's someone who is meant to take you home safely and he's speaking to people like that.

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"Who knows who else he is chatting to like that. It's just disgusting. I was laughing just because I didn't know how it would go but it was anything but funny."

Private hire drivers in Edinburgh need to apply to the council to obtain a licence before choosing a company such as Bolt to operate through. Edinburgh Council officials said the authority do not comment on individual cases.

A Bolt spokesperson said: “We take the safety and wellbeing of our passengers extremely seriously. As soon as a serious safety incident is reported to us, we immediately suspend the driver from our platform and assist the police with any investigation. We also provide affected passengers with welfare support.

“Bolt constantly assesses and improves the protections available to both passengers and drivers, including an Emergency Assist button that connects directly to the emergency services, and a support team that is available 24/7. We remain committed to maintaining a safe platform for all users and continue to work closely with law enforcement and other relevant authorities to address incidents swiftly and support those affected.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “On Sunday, 13 October, 2024 we received a report of inappropriate remarks made by a taxi driver in Edinburgh. Enquiries are ongoing to establish if any criminality has taken place.”

Horrible incident for the lady.

Be very surprised if the driver remains in the trade for much longer.

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IDFIMH