With the entry of Uber in Kenya, the future looked brighter, but as fate my have it things have really changed. Uber has become a thing of controversy. Uber is accused of being too cheap hence being a business to local taxi operators in Kenya. Business concern aside, Uber operators too seem to be posing a security threat to its customers Njeri Ngunjiri is one of the victims in Nairobi.
However, in lOS Angeles, Uber is being sued by a passenger who alleges he was sexually assaulted by a male driver.
Here is Njeri Ngunjiri ‘s ordeal she encountered with Uber driver in Nairobi shared on Facebook.
Be weary of an Uber Driver named Stephen drives a Nissan Tiida registration number KCE tel number 0713 632 593
Today at 7.30 p.m.he picked me up from Town.
Didn’t take too kindly to perhaps a woman giving him directions. When I saw our conversation was degenerating, I told him to just stop talking to me and take me to my location.
He’s pissed off at this point and wants to drop me off at a place known as “Makaburi” which is prone to incidents of hijacking and rape . This is when I tell him that I won’t pay him if he doesn’t drop me home. He’s like then I will take you back to Town and I’m like please take me to Parklands Police Station instead.
When we reached where I live, I tell him this is where I live you can stop here. I didn’t want to show him the apartments I live in because at this point I’m scared. He’s like where do you live. Here is fine I say . I’m pissed of at this stage and anyone who knows me will know I curse like a sailor when mad.
He goes…where do you live. And I say again you can drop me here.
This is where it gets bad… the poor excuse hits my arm with his fist.
Then he drives off saying That I have said I won’t pay him and I’m thinking in my head this guy is freaking nuts. I’m scared out of my mind at this point. freaking out actually!!!! He’s calling me all manner insults including prostitute at this time.
Five minutes later he says get out of the car. I’m familiar with this location, it’s relatively safe. Im OK. I’m alive. I get out and he drives off.
Then he stops and wait.
I rush to the apartment building nearby because I know they have dogs. My dog and these dogs are boys.
I bang on the gate hoping that the noise from the dogs barking will scare him off.
Luckily, a guy in a motorcycle written McFrys comes up and I’m hysterical at this point and I give him a summary of events. This is when the uber driver starts making a U-turn and the Boda guy tells me get behind. It’s not safe.
So I do and he does one of those things I see in movies because we ride and hide in the other side of the same apartment block until the Uber driver drives by.
My knight in shining armor by the name of Samuel takes me to Parklands Police Station.
And that is the end of my relationship with Uber.
What’s Uber?
Uber Technologies Inc. is an American multinational online transportation network company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It develops, markets and operates the Uber mobile app, which allows consumers withsmartphones to submit a trip request which is then routed to Uber drivers who use their own cars. As of May 28, 2015, the service was available in 58 countries and 300 cities worldwide. Since Uber’s launch, several other companies have copied its business model, a trend that has come to be referred to as “Uberification”.
Uber was founded as “UberCab” by Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp in 2009 and the app was released the following June. Beginning in 2012, Uber expanded internationally. In 2014, it experimented with carpooling features and made other updates. Klout ranked the San Francisco-based company as the 48th-most powerful company in America in 2014. By late-2015, Uber was estimated to be worth $62.5 billion.
The legality of Uber has been challenged by governments and taxi companies, who allege that its use of drivers who are not licensed to drive taxicabs is unsafe and illegal.