Uber challenged over predatory male drivers
Christchurch Uber driver Jill Keats says too many male drivers are propositioning their female customers.
She said about one in four of her young women passengers told her they preferred a female driver because they were sick of being made to feel unsafe by male drivers who propositioned them for sex and asked inappropriate personal questions.
Keats says a few women complained of indecent assaults, and several reported cases of drivers refusing to unlock the doors until they got women’s phone numbers or Facebook contacts.
‘‘I’ve heard that twice in the last month. It is scary.’’
Keats, who was hailed for helping victims of the mosque attacks while she was driving her Uber, said women told her there was no point in complaining to Uber, because the company was too hard to get hold of, ‘‘and they’re not listening’’.
In 2018 Uber launched an education campaign for drivers who had to watch a video that explicitly described inappropriate behaviour such as staring, asking whether someone was in a relationship, and soliciting sex.
At the time, Uber said it would release a ‘‘transparency report’’, like one since released in the United States that disclosed 3000 sexual assaults over a year, and a spokesperson said it was currently auditing Australian and New Zealand data to ensure its accuracy.
Uber said a 111 emergency alert button had been added to its app, and a driver could be removed from the app while a complaint was investigated by a law enforcement team that worked with police.
Detective Senior Sergeant Nicky Reeves heads Canterbury’s adult sexual assault team and out of a caseload of more than 300 cases at any one time, she said there were generally a couple involving taxi or ride-share drivers.
In recent years, two Christchurch Uber drivers have been jailed for raping intoxicated young women passengers.
Reeves said drivers propositioning customers for sex was not a criminal offence, so police could not take action.
But Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency’s safer commercial transport manager, Brett Aldridge, said it had zero tolerance for that kind of behaviour.
A proposition of a sexual nature could lead to the suspension or revocation of the driver’s passenger (P) licence, and he strongly encouraged women with serious concerns about their treatment by ride-share or taxi drivers to contact Waka Kotahi directly on 0800 822 422.
Since 2019 Waka Kotahi has revoked 25 P licences for taxi and ride-share drivers – all of them men – mostly for improper behaviour towards passengers such as violence, sexual offences or driving under the influence of alcohol.
Charity Respected Aotearoa works to prevent sexual harm and chief executive Fiona McNamara said it was important Uber released data on New Zealand complaints.
‘‘If you want to encourage people to report, then sharing what you do when a complaint is laid is an important part of that process. People need to know they’re being taken seriously.’’