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Uber Driver Accused of Raping Passenger in Boston

time.com

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Re: Uber Driver Accused of Raping Passenger in Boston

#11

Post by saraid216 »

codyb wrote: post #3

I can't tell if these are legitimate growing pains any company experiencing such a growth spurt might incur or if these are a fault of Uber's. Dumb comments made by CEOs, rapes by drivers all over the world. The dumb comments by the CEOs are dumb, but they're just that. The rapes on the other hand? A quick google search turns up a slew of results for taxi rape. It doesn't appear to be endemic but it doesn't appear to…

> My belief is in India, often times, the "face" (as the Chinese use the term, to save face) of a rapist may often be considered more worthy of protection than the woman.

This is in no way restricted to India. Google any rape story involving a promising high school or college athlete in America. Watch how the community steps into formation to defend the kids' futures.

Re: Uber Driver Accused of Raping Passenger in Boston

#12

Post by asn0 »

Recently-reported rapes by traditional taxi drivers that haven't been on the front page of HN:

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/12/11/cab...

http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2014/12/tourist_says_cab...

http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Cab-Driver-Arrested-for-S...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2844528/Taxi-driver-...

Re: Uber Driver Accused of Raping Passenger in Boston

#13

Post by Chevalier »

djrogers wrote: post #2

This is clearly horrible, but there seems to be a perception that Uber's business model is somehow conducive to this, or at least related. I'd argue the opposite - if a regular cab driver (or a gypsy cab) were to commit the same crime a) nobody would report on it b) you'd have a much harder time tracking down the perp With Uber my wife has a record of exact pickup and drop-off location, route (including any stops for…

Yup, exactly. As someone with loved ones in Cambridge who use Uber constantly, and is therefore extremely distressed by rapists prowling their neighborhoods... thank god for Uber.

I'm a tall, professional male with a law degree who's never intoxicated or high. Even then, I've had many cabs do shady stuff in NYC and even I couldn't recall who drove me, if the driver's license (if displayed at all) matched the driver's physical description, or even what make and model the cab itself was -- much less critically important information like the license plate or the driver's name.

For rapists, the ability to lock a woman in a car and drive her anywhere you choose has always been a singular advantage to driving a cab. I wouldn't expect a traumatized victim to be able to remember the car or driver's details, or even where she was taken. Thankfully, Uber now records all that for you. It's a powerful deterrent to rapists who otherwise would enjoy the freedom to kidnap at will.

If this article can be used in service of any particular statement, it's that there are truly awful people in the world who perhaps should be locked away much longer than they are now. I know this opinion is at odds with the general sentiment that prison sentences are too long already, but I'm not particularly eager for Alejandro Done to get out and continue preying on women.

Re: Uber Driver Accused of Raping Passenger in Boston

#14

Post by king_jester »

applecore wrote: post #10
primitive wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think Uber's model is necessarily conducive to this, but with small private hire firms it is likely that any case like this would bankrupt them so they may be more careful about drivers they take on. Uber has scale, but that also divorces it from the effects of "one bad apple". Also, while I agree that taxi drivers are no better than any group - if you've paid for a medallion I doubt you would waste all that…

Few (if any) taxi drivers are medallion owners. Drivers pay lease fees to access medallions and the vehicles to which they're attached.

True, but in some places taxi drivers are vetted or have background check to some degree before being allowed to operate. The question is are Uber's practices too lax in this regard?

Re: Uber Driver Accused of Raping Passenger in Boston

#15

Post by nickpresta »

I couldn't find it mentioned in the time.com article or the original source, btu was this an UberX vehicle or an UberTaxi, etc?

I can definitely see this sort of thing happening with UberX, less so with UberTaxi (certainly no less likely than a regular taxi in this case).

Re: Uber Driver Accused of Raping Passenger in Boston

#16

Post by yason »

primitive wrote: post #7
djrogers wrote: post #2

This is clearly horrible, but there seems to be a perception that Uber's business model is somehow conducive to this, or at least related. I'd argue the opposite - if a regular cab driver (or a gypsy cab) were to commit the same crime a) nobody would report on it b) you'd have a much harder time tracking down the perp With Uber my wife has a record of exact pickup and drop-off location, route (including any stops for…

I don't think Uber's model is necessarily conducive to this, but with small private hire firms it is likely that any case like this would bankrupt them so they may be more careful about drivers they take on. Uber has scale, but that also divorces it from the effects of "one bad apple". Also, while I agree that taxi drivers are no better than any group - if you've paid for a medallion I doubt you would waste all that…

But don't medallion owners also hire drivers? Not all of them care about their employer's reputation.

Thus, surely some negligible——but still tangible——fraction of cab drivers, working for Uber or not, will at some point rape a customer no matter what but with Uber the chances to collect evidence and identify the driver after the fact is probably much better, making it likely for the abusing driver to be prosecuted. This in turn creates a deterrent. With a regular cab, unless the customer can identify the car s/he doesn't really know who the driver is. Further, all the bad driver needs to do is to cover the cab number and become practically anonymous.

Re: Uber Driver Accused of Raping Passenger in Boston

#17

Post by slayed0 »

djrogers wrote: post #2

This is clearly horrible, but there seems to be a perception that Uber's business model is somehow conducive to this, or at least related. I'd argue the opposite - if a regular cab driver (or a gypsy cab) were to commit the same crime a) nobody would report on it b) you'd have a much harder time tracking down the perp With Uber my wife has a record of exact pickup and drop-off location, route (including any stops for…

Exactly. Rapes have been occurring in taxis for a long time, the only difference is Uber provides more accountability as you have a complete record of the transaction (gps location, personal information of the driver, etc) digitally stored. What these stories should focus on is how quickly these situations get resolved given the wealth of information provided by Uber (as opposed to a taxi cab) and how quickly that will act as a deterrent.

Re: Uber Driver Accused of Raping Passenger in Boston

#18

Post by pearjuice »

I am surprised this is the first incident. Uber is an excellent way for the criminial circuit to get cheap hits. Not only sexual abuse but also theft, abduction and extortion. Step in the car, lock the doors and put a mobile signal distortion device in the back and boom you can take your passenger anywhere you want.

Re: Uber Driver Accused of Raping Passenger in Boston

#19

Post by throwaway90446 »

saraid216 wrote: post #11
codyb wrote: post #3

I can't tell if these are legitimate growing pains any company experiencing such a growth spurt might incur or if these are a fault of Uber's. Dumb comments made by CEOs, rapes by drivers all over the world. The dumb comments by the CEOs are dumb, but they're just that. The rapes on the other hand? A quick google search turns up a slew of results for taxi rape. It doesn't appear to be endemic but it doesn't appear to…

> My belief is in India, often times, the "face" (as the Chinese use the term, to save face) of a rapist may often be considered more worthy of protection than the woman. This is in no way restricted to India. Google any rape story involving a promising high school or college athlete in America. Watch how the community steps into formation to defend the kids' futures.

Not without cause. The recent UVA scandal, the semi-recent duke lacrosse scandal, and the unconscionable number of rape convicts being exonerated and released on account of dna evidence being tested with modern methods all point to the need for defense of the accused.

It's almost as if accused rapists, like other accused criminals, should be innocent until proven guilty.

Re: Uber Driver Accused of Raping Passenger in Boston

#20

Post by [deleted] »

djrogers wrote: post #2

This is clearly horrible, but there seems to be a perception that Uber's business model is somehow conducive to this, or at least related. I'd argue the opposite - if a regular cab driver (or a gypsy cab) were to commit the same crime a) nobody would report on it b) you'd have a much harder time tracking down the perp With Uber my wife has a record of exact pickup and drop-off location, route (including any stops for…

[deleted]
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