A woman who booked an Uber cab to go home from her workplace on Senapati Bapat Road around 8pm on Wednesday was shocked when the driver offered to get her a ¡®night parcel¡¯.
The perplexed woman sought to know from the driver what entailed a ¡®night parcel¡¯. He told her it meant vodka. The woman immediately cancelled her ride and complained to Uber about the driver.
The woman, who requested anonymity, told TOI that she waiting for the cab by the roadside. ¡°The driver was late by 10 minutes and I called him to know why. The driver identified himself as Balaji and his answer first confused me and then shocked me,¡± she said .
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The woman said the driver gave her no reason for being late. ¡° He said he was reaching in five minutes and then asked me if I needed the ¡®night parcel¡¯. I had no clue what it meant and asked him. He told me ¡®night parcel¡¯ meant vodka and whether I wanted the drink.
I was utterly shocked and immediately disconnected. The driver called me thrice, but I didn¡¯t take his call. I checked the application and saw that he was 2-3 minutes away from where I was standing. I cancelled the ride and crossed over to the other side of the road so that he would not identify me.¡±
The woman took an autorickshaw and went home. ¡°How can a cab driver ask something like this? I complained to Uber about him,¡± the woman said.
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She added that she would not take the matter to the police for now. An officer from Chatushrungi police station said they can take action only if the woman approached them.
The Uber spokesperson said if the rider chose to report the incident to local law enforcement authorities, they will completely assist in the investigation process.
When contacted, an Uber spokesperson said, ¡°What¡¯s been described (the night parcel) has no place on our app. Safety of our riders is a priority for us at Uber. Upon learning about the incident, we immediately removed the driver partner¡¯s access to the Uber app,¡± the spokesperson told TOI in an e-mail reply.
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The woman too received a response from Uber in which a representative apologized. ¡°We¡¯ve also reached out to the driver and addressed this issue appropriately. Rest assured, we take the safety of riders seriously and it¡¯s been handled appropriately on our end. Your feedback has been noted and we will be closely monitoring the driver-partner¡¯s profile to determine if he is a partner that will continue to have access to the app,¡± the message sent to the woman said.
Sources said the driver was registered on the platform after a thorough background check, had a valid license and had cleared all screening requirements.