Uber driver WhatsApps woman, sends his pic: ‘Friendship karna chahta hoon’

The woman said that Uber Support had not responded to her in Twitter direct messages. (Representational)

A homoeopathic doctor took to Twitter to express her serious concerns about her recent experience with an Uber driver. Bhumika found herself in a deeply distressing situation when she received inappropriate messages from the driver who had just dropped her off.

In a tweet, Bhumika addressed Uber IndiaSupport Team, outlining the distressing events that unfolded after her ride. She called for a thorough investigation to identify the driver involved and to take appropriate measures to prevent such incidents in the future. The safety and security of Uber passengers, she emphasized, should be a top priority.

She also attached screenshots of her conversation with the Uber driver. The conversation began innocuously, with the driver, identified as Rahul, asking if she remembered him from her Uber ride. When she asked him why was he texting her, the driver expressed his desire to be friends with her, punctuating the message with a photograph of himself.

"Main friendship karna chahta hoon aapse," the driver wrote in Hindi.

The woman said in comments that she was deeply frightened after the incident, knowing that this individual had access to her location information.

Hello @Uber_India Support Team,
I am writing to express my serious concern regarding a recent experience I had with one of your driver. On 19/10/2023, I encountered a distressing situation where I received inappropriate messages from one of your drivers after a ride.

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This… pic.twitter.com/M1Wf537iZQ

— Bhumika (@thisisbhumika) October 20, 2023

Adding to the gravity of the situation, Bhumika revealed in her comments that Uber had not responded to her messages in Twitter direct messages (DMs).

She wrote in her tweet: “I strongly believe that Uber should be a platform where customers, especially women, can trust the drivers and the overall experience. This incident has shaken that trust, and I am deeply concerned about the safety of female passengers who rely on Uber for transportation.”

A journalist commented on the post, suggesting that, given the driver's knowledge of her location, she should consider filing a Non-Cognizable Report (NCR) and reporting the incident to the police, even if she chooses not to file a First Information Report (FIR). She also emphasized the need to send a clear message that such behaviour is unacceptable.

“He should know that he can't behave like this with an unknown woman. I know this can be really worrying but don't be scared Bhumika. Good job exposing him,” she wrote.

One user highlighted the gravity of the situation saying: “This is scary. The drivers know our phone number and address and we don't know anything about them. And, we need to depend on Uber. Not safe at all.”

Uber Support did reply in the comments with their stock message: “Hi Bhumika, this is definitely not the kind of experience we would like you to have. Please send across your registered details via Direct Message, we'll get this addressed at the earliest.”

However, after the woman texted them, she said there was no response.