Uber driver arrested after student reports he groped her


LAPD arrested an Uber driver Saturday night after he was accused of groping a female USC student while dropping her off near campus.

At approximately 9 p.m. on Nov. 22, the student reported that the driver had groped her from behind as she was getting out of his car. The incident occurred as he was dropping her off on 30th Street, according to CBS Los Angeles.

Immediately after the incident, the student used the LiveSafe app on her smartphone to report what had happened to campus security, who received the message at 9:05 p.m. According to CBS, the report DPS officers saw was so clear that they were able to spot the suspect approximately 10 minutes later.

LAPD arrested the suspect, who has remained unidentified, and charged him with sexual battery. According to CBS, the driver has worked for both Uber and fellow ride-sharing company Lyft in the past.

USC currently operates a free ride-sharing program with Uber in conjunction with Campus Cruiser. Students are encouraged to take Uber in the University Park neighborhood whenever wait periods for Campus Cruiser exceed 15 minutes, and the University covers the costs between 7 p.m. and 2 a.m. The USC Transportation website encourages students to “stay Uber safe” by traveling in pairs, verifying the driver and car and using the Uber app’s “share your ETA” function to alert friends to their estimated time of arrival.

According to the DPS website, the LiveSafe USC Trojan Mobile Safety App allows users to initiate contact with emergency responders around the University Park and Health Science campuses.” The app is free to download and includes safety features such as immediate calls to DPS, easy reporting of suspicious or criminal activity and location services to notify friends of students’ route through campus.

1 reply
  1. Albee Doh
    Albee Doh says:

    CAVEAT EMPTOR:

    In Southern California Uber charges $1.00 per mile and $0.18 per minute (with no base starting fare as they apply in most of their other markets). Then, Uber takes 20-30% of this paltry sum. THEN, drivers have to apply operational costs and taxes against this paltry sum. What’s left, especially after transporting college students for what are mostly minimum fares that net drivers little to nothing (minimum fares net drivers $2.40 BEFORE deducting costs; any fare that takes a driver more than 4 miles to complete – from point-of-hail to drop-off – loses them money)? Certainly not a service that can retain any modicum of quality and safety for very long.

    Uber passes 100% of ALL operational costs onto its misclassified independent contractors. It even coerces drivers into absorbing the “complimentary” costs of bottled water, gum/snacks, and chargers (that Uber tells riders to expect) under threat of “deactivation” (Uber’s “doublespeak” for fired) for failing to provide the “5-Star” experience of riding in an Uber. BTW, drivers who average less than 4.6 out of 5 stars are threatened with deactivation.

    And ask yourselves this: if the job pays as well as Uber claims (which it obviously doesn’t) then why is the churn rate among its drivers so astronomically high in this flailing “sharing” economy?

    Uber and Lyft claim that drivers can earn as much as $35 an hour and/or up to $1500.00 a week. This is more than many jobs that require a college degree can offer. If drivers could make this much money you would see a very different culture of drivers than that which exists in So Cal.

    The truth is that, after totaling costs and taxes, Uber drivers in nearly every one of its markets is taking home well below minimum wage. All this for a very high-risk (drivers are 21-33 times more likely to be assaulted/murdered on the job than workers in any other sector), very low-paying job that destroys a vehicle’s resale value.

    And consider the ethics of a company that tells riders not to tip, refuses to add in-app tipping (which all Uber’s competitors offer), and instructs its drivers to vigorously decline tips that are offered (which new ones will comply with out of fear of getting lower star ratings).

    People are increasingly complaining that Uber drivers are getting worse, especially in So Cal/LA. Well, you get what you – and Uber – pay for.

    Quality and safety have limited cost thresholds. Uber charges and pays well below this threshold.

    “Sharing” economy my a**.

    Shame, too. Uber had a golden opportunity and chose to lay a golden egg instead. At least they can make some goose soup.

    Caveat venditor, Mr. Kalanick, caveat venditor.

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