The new Uber feature designed to keep you safe
An Uber driver accused of indecently assaulting a female passenger claims he’s innocent and did not deserve to lose his job.
But his case, and others like it, have sent the ride share giant into damage control, launching new safety features to try to win back customers’ trust.
Accused of exposing himself to a female passenger and making her touch him, 52-year-old Mukesh Naiker says he is innocent.
He’s been blocked by Uber, unable to drive for any ride share companies, while on bail.
He picked up a 23-year-old woman early on a Sunday morning two weeks ago, in the Sydney suburb of Camden.
The woman has pressed indecent assault charges which could see the father-of-two jailed.
It’s a bad look for the company, which chose to launch a new safety feature on its app on Tuesday.
An emergency assistance button sends police a GPS location when there’s an incident during a ride.
The tech giant has now hired a former detective as an in-house law enforcement liaison to work with police on these serious matters.
It’s not enough to convince some passengers, however.
“Not safe, I’d go cabs or corporate cards,” one woman said.
“It’s just somebody that I don’t know picking me up.”
“Always make sure I’m in Ubers with other people,” another woman said.
Naiker will reappear in court in November.
