Police say sex assault by driver was predatory

City police are seeking a man posing as a ride-share driver who sexually assaulted a female passenger.

On early Sunday morning, a minivan pulled up to a group of people outside a restaurant in the 300 block of 11th Ave. S.W., the driver asked if anyone needed a lift.

The driver said he was with a ride-sharing company and a 25-year-old woman among the group said she’d earlier contacted one of them to take her home.

“The man falsely identified himself as a driver for a ride share company … We have no information to suggest this was a legitimate ridesharing company,” said Insp. Mike Bossley.

After the man had driven the passenger to her home following a 25-minute ride, he insisted on walking the woman to her door.

As he did so, he uttered lewd comments and touched the woman inappropriately a number of times.

After touching her, the man left and the woman called police.

“This was a (predatory) act by an individual who thought he could take advantage of the situation,” said Bossley, adding it’s hard to say if the incident was a premeditated act.

Police have no reason to believe the driver was privy to pickup information held by a genuine rideshare firm, said Bossley.

Police say a ride-sharing company had been called by a woman to the 11th Avenue S.W. address but the fare wasn’t there when they arrived.

It’s the first time such an incident has occurred in Calgary, said Bossley, who wouldn’t give the name of the ride-sharing company the suspect claimed to be representing.

The suspect is described as a lighter skinned, clean cut man, in his early 30s with a medium build and about 5-ft., 10-in. tall with dark eyes. He was wearing a black baseball cap, had a distinct accent, and drove a navy blue 2008-2010 Dodge Caravan with cloth seats.

There are ways for customers to stay safe when using ride-sharing services, which provide apps with images and names of drivers, licence plates and vehicles, said the inspector.

“You can actually track a vehicle coming to you,” said Bossley. “There are safety factors built into these apps, so people should use them.”

Legitimate vehicles also carry an identifying sticker. There are six licensed ride share providers in Calgary employing 1,300 drivers.