Well, there’s the car, but armed carjacking is a problem which already exists so I don’t think Uber has an affect on that one way or the other.
In plain fact, I can’t think of any risk factors distinctive to Uber/Lyft/et al. You get into a stranger’s car/allow a stranger into your* car in all of the similar scenarios.
*For a traditional taxi, the driver may not own the car, but that’s not a huge factor in whether a carjacking can occur, only who suffers the property loss. The personal risks are all similar, except perhaps for the lack of a cash transaction in the Uber case.
Cite? I’ve seen this assertion made in a number of threads, but I’ve never seen anyone from Uber describe their business as a “ride share”. Everything I see from them basically describes them as an on-demand hired car company. Maybe they used to, but don’t any more? Can you find a statement from Uber in which they refer to themselves as a “ride-sharing” service or company?
I can find a lot of third parties describing them that way, but the only thing I can find on their website that mentions “sharing” is an announcement of UberPool, which is where it will match up several riders with similar routes with a single hired car. So, the riders are sharing, but with each other, not with the driver.
The website also says, "Split your fare. Simplify your life and your fractions. Invite your friends to split the fare. If your friends opt in, each person’s credit card will be charged equally. No more pay-me-backs or IOUs.
Are you familiar with the concept of a taxi cab or livery car service? Same thing. The driver makes money for driving people around.
Unlike a taxi cab, however, there is a digital record of who the driver is and who the passenger is. So in spite of all the hoopla about “safety”, it’s actually safer than getting into some random cab IMHO.
Look, no one holds a gun to anyone’s head any makes them become an Uber driver.
Putting aside whether Uber is a good financial deal for the driver, it clearly is safer than driving a taxi around the city. An Uber driver is never picking up an anonymous person on the street, he is always picking up someone who has left an electronic trail to his identity. There is also no cash involved, so the Uber driver isn’t driving around with lots of cash.
I guarantee you can sign up with name and credit card only (and email I suppose). I’ve been using Uber for at least two years and don’t have any social media accounts.
I have tried to tip my Uber driver every time… almost every time they tried to refused it the first time it was offered. About half said no with resolve, as it were.
My sister found an Uber driver who she really liked, and they’ve now got an arrangement - she’ll call him directly and pay him in cash. I expect Uber wouldn’t be too happy about not getting their cut, but I’m also guessing she’s not the only one who does this.
I usually tip. They always accept, and appear quite grateful. I don’t think it’s forbidden, but I seems clear to me that they don’t expect routine tipping.
The Lyft app my friend and I used had an option to add a driver tip on to the credit card charge. He was paying and had just enough to drink to decide to add an $8 tip on a $12 ride.
It isn’t safe for the driver. Had a driver tell me her worries herself. The rider gets to see a verified profile of the driver. The person who pays for the Uber isn’t necessarily the rider. The driver gets pretty much nothing as far as who will be getting in their car.
It’s at least as safe as a regular yellow cab picking up fares on the street.
The driver does confirm that you are either the person in the profile or are there on their behalf. If something happens, there is a record that you order the Uber. Do you have a lot of friends you would cover for if they pulled some shit after you fetched them an Uber ride?
Honestly, that sounds like someone who should rethink the job she chose. That (very slight) risk seems inherent to a job in which you’re driving strangers around.
