When a pregnant woman went into labor in November, she hailed an Uber and waited with her husband and birth coach for it to arrive – but upon seeing the woman vomit onto the sidewalk while waiting, the Uber driver refused to take her, according to a report in Fortune.
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David Lee told Fortune that he and his wife called the driver for an urgent three-mile hospital ride from their apartment.
Instead, he drove away-but not before charging them $13 for his lost time.
Thankfully, the Lees were able to catch a ride from another Uber driver, and they welcomed a healthy baby boy later that day.
When Fortune asked Uber for a response, they said that they do not discuss individual driver incidents. The company refused to disclose the full name of the driver due to privacy policies, according to Lee, even though he later found the full name on his email receipt.
“Uber drivers with a criminal record will continue to suffer unfair treatment, and other taxi service companies that do comply with the law will be disadvantaged as well, if Uber persists in trying to dodge basic background check protections guaranteed to workers by federal, state, and local laws, ‘ Christine Owens, the organization’s executive director, said in a statement”.
By loosening up on its driver-screening requirements and giving nonviolent criminals a chance, Uber is also seemingly making its driver-background check more transparent – something that critics of the service have harped on.
The most common reason Uber rejects drivers is for motor vehicle-related offenses, such as driving while intoxicated and reckless driving, Mr. Sullivan said. When all of the excitement died down, Lee, who is an attorney, reached out to Uber.
As for Lee, he agrees Uber is bound by public accommodation laws, but also questioned whether the company is committed to ensuring its drivers abide by them. Secondly, Uber can potentially increase the number of drivers it has on the road, though, the company told the Journal that growing its driver base is not what this is about.
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“Uber should have clarified their policies on drivers and women in labor, and confirmed that the driver received appropriate disciplinary action”, said Lee.
