Woman accuses Lyft driver of masturbating in front of her (New York, USA)

New York, USA — Rideshare drivers, such as Uber and Lyft, are supposed to make their customers feel comfortable and respected. However, an unfortunate New York woman experienced the opposite.

A Lyft driver allegedly began masturbating while taking a passenger from Brooklyn to Manhattan for a job interview.

The woman, only identified as Kathleen, managed to capture the driver’s actions on video. She then canceled her Lyft ride and exited the vehicle as carefully as possible.

“No woman should have to go through that,” Kathleen said.

Moreover, a Lyft spokesperson revealed that the accused driver is no longer driving for Lyft.

“The safety of our community is fundamental, and both incidents described are unacceptable,” the Lyft spokesperson stated. “We stand ready to work with law enforcement.”

Furthermore, Kathleen hired Attorney Mike Bomberger for her case. Atty. Bomberger is currently representing over a dozen women in a lawsuit filed in San Francisco. According to him, the rideshare company is not doing enough to protect riders from sexual assaults by drivers.

“I think that Lyft has sent a clear message that they are indifferent to these assaults occurring in their vehicles,” Bomberger said. “They have taken policies to silence these women.”

Lyft previously announced new safety measures including mandatory sexual harassment prevention training for drivers and more thorough background checks. In addition, the company is also adding new options for riders to more easily call 911 from inside the app and share their location with friends and family.

Kathleen acknowledged these efforts. However, despite the progress, she believes Lyft needs to do more to prevent encounters like hers.

The New York City Police Department is currently conducting a thorough investigation regarding the allegation.