A YOUNG woman driving for ride-sharing service Uber was subjected to a barrage of lewd comments and offensive behaviour after picking up a fare in Bonbeach early Sunday morning.
The 25-year-old told police she drove to Harding Av to collect a man who ordered a ride via the Uber mobile app and when she arrived, two men were waiting to be picked up.
The man with the Uber account hopped into the back seat while the other man – possibly named Sam – sat in the front passenger seat.
The unidentified man in the front then began making “inappropriate sexual remarks” and exposed himself before trying to force the Uber driver’s hands onto him. He then tipped two small bottles of water onto her lap.
The driver decided to stop and drop him off, near Mathilda Way, where he stood inside the open door and again exposed himself and urinated in full view of the driver.
As the woman drove off, the backseat passenger repeatedly apologised for his friend’s actions before being dropped off elsewhere in Keysborough.
The woman called her boyfriend afterwards and they reported the incident to police.
Sam is described as Caucasian, 25, blond hair, blue eyes, no facial hair, with a black nose ring in his right nostril and wearing a black baseball cap.
Police have been provided with screenshots of the pick-up and drop-off locations.
Uber communications manager Mike Scott confirmed the incident had been reported to police.
“Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and we treat the safety of all drivers and riders seriously,” he said.
“We’ve been in touch with our driver-partner to offer her our support and have been actively assisting police with their investigations.”
Detective Sergeant Ian Bucher, of Moorabbin Sexual Offences Unit, said the investigation was ongoing but he was confident of tracking down the offender soon.
“There’s always a presumption of innocence [and] if the person involved was to come forward we would be happy to arrange a meeting where we could discuss the incident,” he said.
The state government last month announced plans to legalise Uber in Victoria by setting up a registration system for taxis, hire cares and ride-sharing services.
Passengers will pay a $2 levy per trip for eight years to contribute towards a $75 million “fairness fund” to help taxi drivers facing immediate hardship due to Uber’s legalisation as a competitor.
The Uber ride-sharing service relies on passengers and drivers giving each other online reviews after journeys to try to ensure reliable drivers and well-behaved passengers use the service.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 19 October 2016
