Uber faces scrutiny after Manchester rider's distressing ordeal
Ruth Ratcliffe, a resident of Manchester, fell victim to disturbing behaviour by an Uber driver. The man not only made the 26-year-old feel uncomfortable during the ride but also harassed her in the hours following the trip.
The journey, which was supposed to be a routine ride, quickly turned into an unpleasant experience. After just about two minutes into the drive, Ruth began to feel uneasy when the driver started asking her personal questions and making inappropriate remarks.
As she recounted in an interview with MailOnline, the man asked her where she usually drinks alcohol and complimented her appearance, calling her "beautiful" and suggesting he would do a lot for her. These comments made Ruth uncomfortable, particularly when he inquired about whom she lives with and how old she is.
The woman, who is a carer for her autistic daughter, mentioned her autism diagnosis in the conversation with the driver, prompting another inappropriate comment from the man. As Ruth reports, he called her "autistic and beautiful." At that point, she was already convinced something was wrong.
Upon reaching her home, the man offered to help carry her groceries inside, but Ruth politely declined, wanting to break contact as soon as possible. To her surprise, the driver started calling her dog to the door, which only heightened her anxiety.
The next day, around 10:50 PM GMT, Ruth was again taken aback when her home surveillance registered the same driver loitering outside her house. Footage from the Ring camera shows the man throwing stones at her daughter's bedroom window.
Alarmed by what she saw, Ruth decided to publish snippets of the footage on TikTok, where she described her situation with the words:
Only I could end up being stalked by an Uber driver who brought me back from Aldi.
Ruth reported the incident to the Uber platform and also reached out to the police. As she said, officers planned to come to her home to take her statement. In response to the report, Uber blocked the driver's account, which somewhat reassured her. Nevertheless, the entire incident took a toll on her well-being.
I suffer from anxiety, and all this has worsened my condition 100 times, the 26-year-old confessed.
Currently, Ruth feels endangered and fears for the safety of herself and her children. She had to lock the back door, which means her dog cannot freely go outside to the garden when it wants.
Ruth previously used Uber regularly, mainly for taking her children to school, as one of her daughters is unable to walk long distances. After what happened, she decided she would never use the platform's services again. As she added, she left a negative review of the driver, who was probably new to the job as his profile had no ratings.
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An Uber spokesperson confirmed in a statement to the media that this incident is being treated with full seriousness.
The described behaviour is completely unacceptable. We are conducting an investigation, and if the allegations are confirmed, the driver will be permanently removed from the platform. We are also ready to support the police in any investigation, it reads.
The entire situation has left Ruth and her family in a state of deep anxiety and stress. Despite Uber's promises, the woman still feels threatened and tries to avoid places and situations that could potentially put her in danger again.
