Disgusting UBER Drivers Trying To Extort Their Customers! UBER Standards At An All Time Low in Pakistan!
It goes without saying that the fundamental idea of UBER is one that impressed the world at large. However, their constant growth and expansion has resulted manifested itself in the worst form of taxi experience you can have, especially in Pakistan. Not only are the UBER drivers illiterate, they pose a threat to society at large! The account I'm sharing next is real and happened to a close friend of mine. Her account of the story was backed up by her father who was there when everything happened.
My friend (I shall not name) was picked up from outside of her university at 3 pm by an UBER who's driver claimed to have been on a "Red Sedan" on the phone but arrived in a totally different car which was silver. My friend didn't find anything wrong with it however, sometimes we like to give our people some space for errors because most drivers are illiterate. She sat inside the car and the driver started driving. All throughout the way my friend was met with a loud banter thrown by the driver, who kept on talking about random things most of which my friend doesn't recall. But it's needless to say UBER drivers shouldn't be making any talk if the passenger doesn't want to. The cold shoulder didn't help though and he kept on going.
A little while later they arrived at the place from where my friend had to pick up her dad. During the wait, the driver got out of the car and out of my friends line of sight. General speculation is that it is here where the driver got down to his dirty tricks. Maybe he was just overcome by greed. But upon his arrival back into the car, after my friends dad came, arose suspicion. He was less talkative now and seemed to have been lost in much thought. My friend lives out of the city so she has to get to her house by going on the highway (Ring Road). It is on this highway that the driver slowed down the car and then pulled over right along side two bystanders who seemed to have been just standing there idle.
This is a part of the highway where usually no bystanders are seen and looking at these bystanders worried my friend and her dad. Her dad asked the UBER driver to why he didn't refill his tank before the journey since he already knew the jounrey was going to be immensely long. The driver made excuses, however, one of them being; not being able to read the app properly. The driver got out and claimed that he was going to go ask the two bystanders for help. After he was gone for two minutes my dads friend, now also suspicious got out to see what was going on. To both of their surprise, her dad was then surrounded by the three men who seemed to wasting time just talking about random things rather than helping them out with fuel.
During this time my friend got extremely worried and got out of the car. Be it a stroke of chance and sheer good luck, she started hitchhiking for help. All the while the three men were talking to her dad. After a few cars passed by, one of them finally stopped. Upon this new car stopping, the two bystanders were seen talking to each and other and then running across to the other side of the highway. Which is very irrational behaviour and makes things all the more weird. Luckily the new car had good people in it and my friend and her dad decided to go the rest of the way with them while the UBER driver returned to his vehicle and drove off after taking thrice as much money as required (there was a glitch in the app that he was making use off). My friend's dad deemed it best to just hand him the money and go their separate way.
After the incident my friend checked her UBER app and her app still said that her ride was in transit. The UBER driver clearly did not end the journey from his end for up to 3 hours after he had dropped my friend off. This incident is one of many that I have heard over the past month. Another very prominent example was of an UBER driver extorting a girl for pictures by stalking her back in 2016.
UBER authorities were contacted and a representative from Poland contacted my friend, telling her that they'd take necessary action and told her to keep silent on the issue. The identity of the driver was not revealed, even after extreme persistence, as it goes against the UBER policy. The issue, however, remains. People, especially innocent girls and women of Pakistan are in danger of drivers who get their UBER licences way too easily, it is this lot that has the most malicious intent as well. The only requirements for getting the license are to prove that you're a citizen and a driver - that's it. In a country like Pakistan intensive screenings and thorough background checks are the fulcrum of safety. However, standards are clearly not being met and with anybody who knows how to drive getting a license we are looking at a plethora of very bad drivers getting recruited by the company which is having an adverse affect on our society.
I would sincerely suggest UBER to look into these proposals (as well as countless others) and aim at fixing a terrible situation that is emerging. The company clearly lacks knowledge of the market that they're entering and it just shows a lack of oversight and carelessness. Peoples lives are on the stake, and UBER should realise this. My intent here is not to defame UBER but to raise awareness about the situation thats brewing so that the necessary steps are taken to protect the public from such incidents.
