Narrow escape for traffic cop as ‘Uber driver’ flees roadblock

A TRAFFIC officer had a narrow escape after an Uber driver allegedly nearly ran him over while trying to dodge a roadblock, City traffic spokesperson Maxine Bezuidenhout said yesterday.

Bezuidenhout said the Transport Enforcement Unit (TEU) was holding a sedan taxi enforcement operation in Mowbray at the weekend when the driver bolted.

“Officers eventually stopped him on the N2 outbound at Borcherds Quarry. He indicated he wanted to get away because his vehicle had been impounded a week ago,” she said.

They identified the driver worked for the e-hailing service by the logo visible on the open operating app.

“The device in the car showed he was an Uber driver,” she said.

Bezuidenhout also added that in a matter of a couple of days the unit had impounded 62 Uber vehicles for not having operating licences, or operating in contravention of their licences.

Uber said they could not confirm that the driver worked for them.

Spokesperson Samantha Allenberg said: “We are trying to reach the City’s Traffic Services to gather more information on this incident, in order for our Incident Response Team to confirm if the driver in question is a driver on the Uber app.

“However, Uber strongly believes all drivers should comply with all applicable rules of the road at all times, which is included in our Community Guidelines, a guide for Uber driver-partners and riders.”

At the end of last month, the TEU impounded 57 Uber vehicles in the Green Point/ Cape Town Central area over a weekend.