Uber says drivers’ alleged assaults ‘aren’t even real’

It isn’t clear whether the taxi company CEO’s email was sent to the press intentionally or he accidentally copied reporters.

Ragan Insider Premium Content
Ragan Insider Content

The latest incident took place over the weekend. Writer Bridget Todd and her husband used Uber’s smartphone app to summon a car from the District of Columbia taxi service. The following day, Todd tweeted that the driver had choked her in a racially motivated attack. Todd is black; her husband is white.

Todd has set her Twitter account to private, so the tweets are no longer available publicly.

Uber issued a statement to Valleywag telling a different story. The company had removed the driver from duty, but the “argument” in the taxi—the statement never confirms whether the altercation became physical—was “provoked by the passenger.”

The company also issued the driver’s version of events, which claims Todd was very inebriated and that the altercation started because she put her feet on the car’s seats.

To read the full story, log in.
Become a Ragan Insider member to read this article and all other archived content.
Sign up today

Already a member? Log in here.
Learn more about Ragan Insider.