boston: uber driver accused of raping passenger

www.huffingtonpost.com...

A driver for the ride-sharing service Uber was arraigned in Boston on Wednesday for allegedly kidnapping and raping a passenger who'd gotten into his car.

The woman told Done where she wanted to go, but Done “then drove to a location that the passenger was not familiar with, pulled over in a secluded area and jumped in the backseat where she was sitting,” according to the district attorney's office. Done then “allegedly struck her with his hands, strangled her, locked the car doors so that she could not escape and covered her mouth so she could not scream," the district attorney's office states. "During an ensuing physical struggle, the defendant allegedly sexually assaulted the woman." After an investigation, the victim identified Done as the rapist. He’s now facing charges of rape, kidnapping, assault to rape and battery, CBS Boston reports.

it happened in los angelas too.

then i read this and it sucks

The repeated incidents have raised questions about the thoroughness of Uber's system of background checks. In fact, Uber has lobbied in several states to keep themselves from being subject to the same level of background checks that traditional taxi cabs are, The New York Times reported earlier this month

i dont really understand how they operate?
is it basically getting a ride form a stranger with the app?
the company is worth 40 billion dollars...
lots of claimes in various cities of them being an unlicensed taxi service

too bad people are worried about rape law and the offensive word violated being used when they could be getting after real problems, you know. like this

a reply to: Grovit

Yeah it's basically a "review" based system. Anyone can join and others "review" them after. So as long as the guy doesn't rape the first ten or so passengers he'll have five stars

a reply to: PsychoEmperor

wow. great system

keep it in your pants, picking up men for a few reviews.
then, rape on

#ty man.

I had a feeling once it got big we'd start to hear about the crazies using it for their gratification. Craigslist, anyone? Good thing Uber is worth that much. They're going to have to pay out millions in civil lawsuits.

a reply to: the owlbear

They're going to have to pay out millions in civil lawsuits.

I dont see how

YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT UBER DOES NOT PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION OR LOGISTICS SERVICES OR FUNCTION AS A TRANSPORTATION CARRIER. UBER'S SERVICES MAY BE USED BY YOU TO REQUEST AND SCHEDULE TRANSPORTATION OR LOGISTICS SERVICES WITH THIRD PARTY PROVIDERS

UBER DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE SUITABILITY, SAFETY OR ABILITY OF THIRD PARTY PROVIDERS.

Terms and Conditions

YOU AGREE THAT UBER HAS NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY TO YOU RELATED TO ANY TRANSPORTATION OR LOGISTICS PROVIDED TO YOU BY THIRD PARTY PROVIDERS

originally posted by: Indigent
a reply to: the owlbear

They're going to have to pay out millions in civil lawsuits.

I dont see how

YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT UBER DOES NOT PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION OR LOGISTICS SERVICES OR FUNCTION AS A TRANSPORTATION CARRIER. UBER'S SERVICES MAY BE USED BY YOU TO REQUEST AND SCHEDULE TRANSPORTATION OR LOGISTICS SERVICES WITH THIRD PARTY PROVIDERS

UBER DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE SUITABILITY, SAFETY OR ABILITY OF THIRD PARTY PROVIDERS.

Terms and Conditions

So it's like a carny ride at the Ceciltucky Fair. RIDE AT YOUR OWN RISK. I'll read through the whole terms and conditions to see how they define those words legally. If SAFETY means not getting murdered/raped/tortured/kidnapped then they may have an out, but if it isnt exclusively spelled out, people still have a case.

Eta: Ah! Thank you! I was looking for the magic word LIABILITY.
Yeah, those people need to take a settlement if they want money. Or make their story known to all and make even more with an agreed self gag.

a reply to: the owlbear

BY USING THE SERVICES, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU MAY BE EXPOSED TO SITUATIONS INVOLVING THIRD PARTY PROVIDERS THAT ARE POTENTIALLY UNSAFE, OFFENSIVE, HARMFUL TO MINORS, OR OTHERWISE OBJECTIONABLE, AND THAT USE OF THIRD PARTY PROVIDERS ARRANGED OR SCHEDULED USING THE SERVICES IS AT YOUR OWN RISK AND JUDGMENT. UBER SHALL NOT HAVE ANY LIABILITY ARISING FROM OR IN ANY WAY RELATED TO YOUR TRANSACTIONS OR RELATIONSHIP WITH THIRD PARTY PROVIDERS.

Lawyers...

There was one in india arrested for same thing a few days ago .. saw it on channel news asia online .. seeing the cases there in u.s with the drivers being from the same company makes one wonder where they hire drivers from ..

a reply to: Indigent

Always read the t&c, folks...always.
my gf used to proofread them for credit card companies in the early '90's when it was the Wild West. She was shocked at what she found.

a reply to: Expat888

because of that new delhi banned uber all together

what is the lure with this company? why cant people just take a regular taxi?

originally posted by: Grovit
a reply to: Expat888

because of that new delhi banned uber all together

what is the lure with this company? why cant people just take a regular taxi?

Cost. South Park just had a great episode about the future of transportation. Wacky Races. Union cab drivers were one of the competitors

a reply to: the owlbear

gotcha.
cost is an issue but safety is not

originally posted by: Grovit
a reply to: the owlbear

gotcha.
cost is an issue but safety is not

It is now.
Uber better pay out to quiet this down if they want to remain relevant. Nobody wants to be known as Rapemobile.

Sounds just as ludicrous and dangerous as the couch-hotel online search things out there.

I mean, I've backpacked across Europe for months, but sorry, I'm not staying in a room some weirdo listed on some couchsurfing website unless they make CWP legal there, haha. Rather stay in a €10 hostel any day.

originally posted by: Grovit
www.huffingtonpost.com...

A driver for the ride-sharing service Uber was arraigned in Boston on Wednesday for allegedly kidnapping and raping a passenger who'd gotten into his car.

The woman told Done where she wanted to go, but Done “then drove to a location that the passenger was not familiar with, pulled over in a secluded area and jumped in the backseat where she was sitting,” according to the district attorney's office. Done then “allegedly struck her with his hands, strangled her, locked the car doors so that she could not escape and covered her mouth so she could not scream," the district attorney's office states. "During an ensuing physical struggle, the defendant allegedly sexually assaulted the woman." After an investigation, the victim identified Done as the rapist. He’s now facing charges of rape, kidnapping, assault to rape and battery, CBS Boston reports.

it happened in los angelas too.

then i read this and it sucks

The repeated incidents have raised questions about the thoroughness of Uber's system of background checks. In fact, Uber has lobbied in several states to keep themselves from being subject to the same level of background checks that traditional taxi cabs are, The New York Times reported earlier this month

i dont really understand how they operate?
is it basically getting a ride form a stranger with the app?
the company is worth 40 billion dollars...
lots of claimes in various cities of them being an unlicensed taxi service

too bad people are worried about rape law and the offensive word violated being used when they could be getting after real problems, you know. like this

Apparently this is not the first Uber/Rape case in Boston. This is the fourth known assault or inappropriate touching case by a car company, the second one for Uber.

The Boston Globe reports this incident is not isolated: it's the fourth report of assault or inappropriate touching by a driver for a car-service company in Boston this month. "Early Sunday, three women reported indecent assaults within hours in Boston after summoning a ride-share service. At least two of the victims had used Uber," the Globe reports.

Uber Hiring Rapists?

I'm curious, anyone here who drives for Uber? Or knows someone who does? And if so, out of curiosity, how much do Uber drivers make per ride? In other words, what's in it for them? Is the ride worth it, or are they becoming drivers for more nefarious reasons if they are not making much money. I know on my way home from dropping my dog off to be spayed, there was an Uber ad on the radio that claimed to guarantee you $5000 the first month of becoming a driver and it yes, it sounds great and it's a wonderful lure, but what about the other months?

originally posted by: the owlbear
I had a feeling once it got big we'd start to hear about the crazies using it for their gratification. Craigslist, anyone? Good thing Uber is worth that much. They're going to have to pay out millions in civil lawsuits.

Curious, can a woman call for Uber and request a female driver? It's possible Uber may have to start specifically HIRING women just for this purpose. To put women at ease, so that when women need a ride, they can HAVE a women driver and they don't have to worry about sexual assault. (I mean it's a very sad state of affairs that I even have to type this, but if this is what it takes to turn Uber around, here and overseas, they may have to do just that.)

originally posted by: Anyafaj

originally posted by: the owlbear
I had a feeling once it got big we'd start to hear about the crazies using it for their gratification. Craigslist, anyone? Good thing Uber is worth that much. They're going to have to pay out millions in civil lawsuits.

Curious, can a woman call for Uber and request a female driver? It's possible Uber may have to start specifically HIRING women just for this purpose. To put women at ease, so that when women need a ride, they can HAVE a women driver and they don't have to worry about sexual assault. (I mean it's a very sad state of affairs that I even have to type this, but if this is what it takes to turn Uber around, here and overseas, they may have to do just that.)

I just read where Uber is changing their policy on drivers. I dont know the details, but they have to appear to be proactive. Rides with strangers...something I was taught NOT to do in kindergarten!

originally posted by: Anyafaj

originally posted by: the owlbear
I had a feeling once it got big we'd start to hear about the crazies using it for their gratification. Craigslist, anyone? Good thing Uber is worth that much. They're going to have to pay out millions in civil lawsuits.

Curious, can a woman call for Uber and request a female driver? It's possible Uber may have to start specifically HIRING women just for this purpose. To put women at ease, so that when women need a ride, they can HAVE a women driver and they don't have to worry about sexual assault. (I mean it's a very sad state of affairs that I even have to type this, but if this is what it takes to turn Uber around, here and overseas, they may have to do just that.)

What happens when the sickos start requesting female drivers as well?

a reply to: Grovit

Background checks don't work to filter out the majority of rapists because the majority of rapists get away with their crimes.

I feel sorry for the women this happened to. It's also sad that what could have been a really cool thing is ruined by monsters like this. This will only result in more regulation and ruin what made the service an interesting concept.

I don't remember where I read it but I think a license to drive an official taxi in New York city is like a million bucks. A service like this would have opened the workforce to more independent contractors and allowed for more free market principles to take place.

There is a war going on right now between Uber and the local governments and taxi companies. Part of that war is an information war, and what you are seeing with these stories are part of it. I'm not saying these incidents didn't happen, but where are the reports of the transgressions of taxi drivers? You think those guys are saints?

Hundreds of thousands maybe millions of taxi drivers on the planet, and nobody thinks there are daily rapings? One instance of rape in India by a Uber driver gets Uber banned in the country, doesn't pass the sniff test if you ask me.