by
Block Party
June 10, 2024
Rideshare apps like Uber have made private transportation just a tap away, but they also have a questionable history of passenger safety.
In 2021, a driver was charged with kidnapping and wire fraud after picking up a passenger, discreetly changing the destination of her ride without her knowledge, kidnapping and assaulting her before leading her stranded on the side of a highway without her phone — and still charging her more than $1,000 for the trip. Another driver was arrested after picking up a 16-year-old girl and her friends at the mall. The driver dropped the girl’s friends off, and then allegedly made several wrong turns as he pretended to be taking her to her final destination and later assaulted her.
Maybe you or your loved ones have similar stories — a driver taking you away from your route home, hitting on you, or otherwise making you feel uncomfortable. Uber drivers completed 28 million trips per day last year — and while the majority of those rides likely went as they should, others inevitably didn’t. In the moment, it’s hard to know what to do. Uber has built-in safety services (more on those in a minute), but when things go wrong during a ride and you’re sitting inches away from your driver, opening your Uber app to record your driver threatening you might not be the safest option.
To help, we’ve compiled best practices and safety advice on what to do before, during and after an Uber ride. Follow these practical tips to stay safe the next time you hail an Uber.
Even before you step foot in an Uber, the app gives you information about your driver’s name, license plate, and make, model and color of their car through the Driver Profile feature. You can see their rating, how many trips they've completed, how long they’ve been driving, compliments from previous riders, and more. If the driver has a bad rating, you can cancel the ride and request a new one.
Look at this information before your driver picks you up to identify the right car. In some cities, like New York, many Uber drivers drive similar cars, so the license plate number is especially helpful.
When your Uber pulls up, confirm the license plate number matches the one in the app. When you open the door, ask the driver to confirm the name of their passenger. Though it may seem reflexive to instead ask, “Is this an Uber for [your name]?”, doing so is an easy way for the wrong driver to say yes, give you a false sense of security that you’re in the right vehicle, and learn your name in the process.
Pro tip: If you don’t want drivers to know your real name, you can use a pseudonym, nickname, or even your initials instead. Enter this information in your Uber profile before you call a car.
It’s common at airports or other congested, high-traffic areas for people to pose as Uber drivers when they’re not — you’re in a hurry to get home, and you may not be thinking straight after a redeye or a long flight. Uber drivers must be dispatched through the Uber app; an Uber driver will never be idling at the tax pickup area at an airport waiting for passengers or offering to give you a ride.
Especially if you’re traveling alone, riding through a remote or foreign area or if it’s late at night, it’s a good idea to share your trip details with friends or family who can keep an eye on you. They’ll be able to tell when you get to your destination, and you can always follow up with a call or text to confirm. Uber has an in-app feature called Trusted Contacts you can use as well. You can choose your Trusted Contacts in the app and set reminders to share your trip details with them. Consider sharing your location with a parent, spouse or roommate — especially when you’re traveling alone.
If you’re worried about exposing the address of your final destination, especially if it’s where you or a loved one live, you can set the drop off to a neutral, safe area, like a nearby restaurant, park, gas station, or other public area. You could also set your drop off location to an apartment a few doors down, just so the location isn’t exactly where you live.
Some Uber drivers may have video cameras installed and in use in their cars to record passenger behavior for safety purposes. Some drivers may disclose this with something like a sticker on the side of the car telling you you’re being recorded. If you worry that a driver who is already making you feel unsafe may use video footage to try to find you after the ride, you may consider wearing sunglasses, a hat or a mask to prevent your face from being fully recognizable.
Depending on the severity of the situation, there are different actions you can take if an Uber driver is making you feel unsafe during your ride.
If you feel comfortable and you’re in a safe location, you can get out of the car. Only do this if the car isn’t moving and you’re in a well-lit area and see other people around. You don’t owe your driver an explanation in the moment, but you could say something like “I’m just going to hop out here, thanks,” if you feel so inclined, or make up an excuse, like “I’m going to be sick, can you please pull over?” You can dispute the ride later to Uber and explain that your driver was making you feel uncomfortable, and additionally, if your ride ends early, the fare is typically adjusted.
Contact a family member or friend and let them know that you’re concerned about your safety while you’re in your Uber, and keep them updated on the situation during your ride. Texting is a more discreet option than calling, especially if you’re dealing with an unsafe Uber driver and don’t want to let them catch on, but calling is a more immediate option to quickly indicate that something is wrong.
If you didn’t share your location with a friend or family member before your trip started, now is the time to start. You can do that through the Uber app, but you can also share a screenshot of your Uber app (which will include your driver’s and car’s information, as well as your destination), and share your location using a feature like Apple’s Find My Friends or Google Location Sharing for Android.
If your driver is clearly taking you somewhere that isn’t your intended destination (you can check your phone’s built-in GPS or map features against the route you’re taking in the Uber app to be sure), you can call 911 and let them know you’re in an Uber that is not taking you to your destination. If you make a phone call in an Uber, be sure to sit in a way that ensures your phone is out of the driver’s grasp if they try to take it from you.
If you’re feeling unsafe during your ride, try to document as much as you can. If your driver is yelling at you or verbally making you feel uncomfortable, use the voice memos feature on your smartphone to record the audio. Within Uber’s Safety Toolkit features on the app, there’s a Record Audio option. The trip will be recorded in the app, and you can choose to share it with Uber after the ride ends if you end up reporting the driver.
Take a picture of the car’s license plate when you leave or of the driver’s face, if possible, to present to authorities later.
Once your ride is over, you can report a negative experience with an Uber driver to the company and the police.
No, an Uber driver won’t know you reported them to Uber. Uber does not disclose the identity of anyone who makes a complaint against a driver. Complaints made by passengers are typically kept confidential, and drivers are not informed of the specific details about who reported them for safety concerns.
Uber uses phone number anonymization between drivers and riders to automatically protect you and shield your personal info from drivers. Calls and messages made using the Uber app do not reveal personal phone numbers. Your driver will not have access to your contact information before, during or after your ride.
When a rider reports a driver through Uber, it remains anonymous. They will never see your name or any kind of information that could tie the report to you. However, if a driver took wrong turns or went the wrong way during your ride, they’ll get a report for something like “Bad city knowledge/route.” After rides, your street number is removed from the app so the driver can’t see it, though they could potentially figure that out if they were there before. The driver may be able to guess, but they won’t know for sure that you reported them. Uber will not elaborate beyond the category explanations of the complaint.
After your report, if the driver is kicked off of the platform, they will be removed from their account and will not have access to any information in Uber.
Though Uber says their riders are their priority, it’s a big company and there’s no guarantee that Uber will take action on your report. You may want to supplement the report you make through the platform by calling the police, and providing any documentation from your ride to the authorities when requested.
Hopefully you’ll never have to follow these steps — but should you have to, they’ll help you feel more prepared to interact with an Uber driver that makes you feel uncomfortable during your ride.
Enhance your overall safety by limiting the exposure of your personal information online. Our browser extension, Block Party, can help highlight safety issues on different social media platforms, and make you a harder target for potential threats. Simply scan your social media accounts and get expert recommendations to update settings that pose higher concerns for your physical and online safety.
Securing your online presence does more than just protect you in the digital world; it makes your profiles less discoverable and keeps personal information away from prying eyes. This added layer of protection can provide peace of mind, especially after unsettling experiences like an unsafe Uber ride. By proactively managing your online security, you can feel more confident and secure both online and in real life.
