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Uber Driver Accused of Raping Passenger in Boston

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Re: Uber Driver Accused of Raping Passenger in Boston

#21

Post by icebraining »

pearjuice wrote: post #18

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.

How is Uber an excellent way, when it requires you to be identified and records who and where you picked up the client?

Much safer to paint your car like a taxi, put a fake sign on top and pick up anyone hailing without any records of you having ever done so.

Re: Uber Driver Accused of Raping Passenger in Boston

#22

Post by slayed0 »

pearjuice wrote: post #18

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.

And as soon as any trouble is realized you will be in a world of shit since you are a registered driver with your SSN/background check/other personal info on file. Uber is not the free for all everyone is making it out to be.

Re: Uber Driver Accused of Raping Passenger in Boston

#24

Post by exelius »

Chevalier wrote: post #13
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…

Most taxi companies in big cities track their cars with GPS these days. It's really too cheap not to do it these days. They've already got cellular transmitters in them for credit card processing, so adding a GPS phone-home isn't incredibly costly.

Re: Uber Driver Accused of Raping Passenger in Boston

#25

Post by rbobby »

One difference with taxi cabs is that many of them have security video systems in the car. These are primarily for driver safety, but can also be for passenger safety.

Some taxis also have a driver safety system that when engaged will flash a light on the rear of the cab to notify folks to call the police that the driver needs help. I wonder if thieves will start robbing uber driver (car jack) because of a general lack of security systems?

Re: Uber Driver Accused of Raping Passenger in Boston

#26

Post by dnautics »

e40 wrote: post #8
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 mostly agree, but (a) is untrue. A driver of a popular Bay Area airport shuttle service raped a woman and I did read about it.

but you only hear about it locally. Even so, when you hear about an uber incident, it's information aggregated across multiple markets (boston, india, etc.)

Re: Uber Driver Accused of Raping Passenger in Boston

#27

Post by dnautics »

rbobby wrote: post #25

One difference with taxi cabs is that many of them have security video systems in the car. These are primarily for driver safety, but can also be for passenger safety. Some taxis also have a driver safety system that when engaged will flash a light on the rear of the cab to notify folks to call the police that the driver needs help. I wonder if thieves will start robbing uber driver (car jack) because of a general la…

ubers don't carry cash, so it's no better than robbing a private car. Taxis do carry cash, which is why they desire those systems.

Re: Uber Driver Accused of Raping Passenger in Boston

#28

Post by bpiche »

pearjuice wrote: post #18

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.

It's not the first incident, it's the fourth incident from ride sharing companies in Boston this month, and the Commonwealth has already confirmed that two of them were from Uber

Re: Uber Driver Accused of Raping Passenger in Boston

#29

Post by icebraining »

rbobby wrote: post #25

One difference with taxi cabs is that many of them have security video systems in the car. These are primarily for driver safety, but can also be for passenger safety. Some taxis also have a driver safety system that when engaged will flash a light on the rear of the cab to notify folks to call the police that the driver needs help. I wonder if thieves will start robbing uber driver (car jack) because of a general la…

One difference with taxi cabs is that many of them have security video systems in the car. These are primarily for driver safety, but can also be for passenger safety.

Are these protected from the driver itself? Seems like someone who intended to commit a crime would simply "accidentally" disconnect it.

Re: Uber Driver Accused of Raping Passenger in Boston

#30

Post by bpiche »

bpiche wrote: post #28
pearjuice wrote: post #18

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.

It's not the first incident, it's the fourth incident from ride sharing companies in Boston this month, and the Commonwealth has already confirmed that two of them were from Uber

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/12/16/least-two-women-...
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