Uber driver smashes passenger's phone over fare dispute

Uber driver smashes passenger’s phone over fare dispute

Bristol, EN — Police are investigating reports of an assault involving an Uber driver and his passenger.

The alleged victim, who wants to remain anonymous, claims the incident happened last Sunday, October 6 during a night out in Blue Lagoon bar.

“I had a couple of drinks with a friend,” the 27-year-old said. “We decided to go back home and bought some alcohol to go back with.”

According to him, he then called for an Uber ride at around midnight. The driver arrived twenty minutes later, despite the app saying that he was five minutes away from the start.

“Then he rang me and said he was outside. He told me his app wasn’t working and asked for my phone so he could fix the fare,” the victim said.

After agreeing, the driver drove the man to his home. However, upon arriving, the driver allegedly told the passenger that he had to pay him £15 in cash because Uber wasn’t working.

“I told him he hadn’t explained that when I got in. I was willing to pay, but I didn’t want to get double-charged, so I asked for a receipt. He refused,” the man said.

When the passenger checked back on his Uber app, he discovered that the driver canceled the trip when he borrowed his phone earlier.

“That gave him a £6 cancellation fee,” the victim said.

When the 27-year-old refused to pay £15 without a receipt, the driver told him: “I will take you back to Blue Lagoon then.”

The driver then started driving away while the passenger was still inside the car. When he opened the door to escape, the driver allegedly reached out and grabbed his bag.

The customer then warned the driver that he’ll take photos of his license plate and got out of the car.

“He jumped out of his side, ran over and smacked my phone out of my hand while I was taking the photo.”

Furthermore, the driver pushed him and went into rage mode. “When I said I would ring police, he drove away.”

The man then contacted Uber to report the incident, before putting him on hold for 35 minutes.

“They told me they’d get someone to look into it,” he continued. “Then the next day I tried to book a ride and I’d been blocked on the app.”

An Uber employee allegedly told him that he was blocked from the app after the driver reported him for “threatening behavior”. The company reactivated his account after a few days and refunded his £6 cancellation fee.

“I was a bit angry,” he added. “Taxi drivers and Uber drivers are the people who are meant to get you home with nothing to worry about.”

Furthermore, the victim claims that the company is yet to provide a response to his complaint about the driver.

An Uber spokeswoman released a statement regarding the incident. “During investigations, we typically remove a driver’s access to the app, and if the allegations prove true, an individual would likely face deactivation. We work closely with the police to assist with any investigation.”