Rideshare driver wants Uber to require rider verification after being beaten, robbed of car

By Andrew Ramos

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    CHICAGO (WBBM) — A grandmother from Chicago’s northern suburbs is recovering from a brutal attack while she was on the job for Uber.

Melissa, who asked to be identified only by her first name, said her passengers, four young men, violently attacked her before stealing her car. She said attack could have been avoided with a simple setting change in the Uber app.

It’s a setting she and many other rideshare drivers said puts them in danger, where they have no idea who is entering their car, because passengers don’t need to verify their identity.

In this case Melissa picked up the passengers in the early hours of Friday in Highland Park and headed to North Chicago.

It’s a ride she has done thousands of times, being on the job for Uber for nearly four years.

When it was time to drop off the four young men along Honore Avenue near Martin Luther King Drive, she said things took a terrifying turn when one of the men got out of the car and forced open her door, attempting to drag her out. The others then started attacking her.

“He scooted over and started beating me in the back of the head with the gun, and then the guy next to me was pounding in the face,” Melissa said.

The brutal attack ended when she was forced out and her attackers drove off in the Kia Wave – which was a rental.

Nearly a week later, the bruises to her face and head were still visible, and she said the trauma is resounding.

Melissa spoke to CBS News Chicago at the Park Ridge office of the Independent Drivers Guild – the union that represents rideshare drivers.

What she said is troubling about this attack is that it could have been prevented. While Uber allows passengers to see their driver’s photo before pickup, drivers cannot see their riders’ photos, which leads Melissa to believe that they targeted her because she was an older woman.

“If they know ahead of time, they can literally plan attacks. I think it would cut down on attacks significantly if people can’t target specific drivers based on appearance, gender, or make of car,” she said.

Kimberly Ziyavo, a labor organizer with the Independent Drivers Guild, said Uber drivers “literally don’t know who’s getting in our car,” because riders are not required to verify their identity.

“Sometimes there’s a picture of the person, but it might be a picture of a flower, or their dog, or anything,” Ziyavo said.

According to Uber, drivers can cancel a trip at any point if they feel unsafe. While riders are not required to verify their identity, riders who do go through Uber’s verification process have a “verified” badge that drivers can see, but a spokesperson did not answer directly about whether Uber would change its policy to require all riders get verified.

“No one should ever have to experience this kind of violence. We’ve been in touch with the driver to offer our support as they recover from this horrific attack. The rider was banned from the Uber platform as soon as we were made aware, and we’re working closely with law enforcement to support their investigation. Safety is at the heart of everything we do, and we remain committed to raising the bar through innovation,” an Uber spokesperson said.

North Chicago police confirmed that there is an active investigation into the attack, but would not comment further.

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