Random Most Horrifying Rideshare Stories (22 items)

• 

  (#1) The Passenger Who Ended His Pregnant Driver's Life

  On January 26, 2019, just outside of Tempe, AZ, 39-year-old Kristina Howato was driving for Lyft. Late in the evening, one of her passengers, 20-year-old Fabian Durazo, stabbed her and her unborn child numerous times. Both the mother and child lost their lives. 

  Howato exited her car during the attack, and then Durazo took the SUV she was driving. The driver was rushed to the hospital, but it was too late. 

  In an official statement, Lyft said, "We were shocked and deeply saddened to learn of this tragedy, and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims... the passenger's account has been permanently deactivated, and we are actively assisting law enforcement in their investigation."

  Authorities found Durazo 20 miles away from the California border. 
• 

  (#2) The New Year's Eve Surprise

  On New Year's Eve 2015, Edmonton, Alberta resident Matthew Lindsay and four friends were leaving a wedding in Mill Woods. They opted for an Uber ride (fact: Uber is currently illegal in Edmonton). Sure, they were notified that surge pricing was in effect, at least for the first stop they made (not the subsequent two), but didn't think it would be THIS bad. The damage? $1,114.75.

  After discussion with Uber, which claims they inform all users of all surge pricing via push notifications, the company and Lindsay agreed to a partial refund - Uber offered him $500.

  (Source)
• 

  (#3) The Belligerent Bro

  Not all ridesharing horror stories involve nefarious drivers. Sometimes, it the passengers themselves who cause the problems. Such was the case in Costa Mesa, California in October of 2015, when one wasted, backwards hat-wearing dude assaulted his Uber driver after being asked to get out of the cab.

  Uber driver Edward Caban caught the whole violent ordeal on his dashboard cam. He told police that the passenger, 32-year-old Benjamin Golden, was so drunk that he couldn't give accurate directions home and was acting aggressively toward Caban. The driver eventually pulled over in a parking lot and demanded that the drunk idiot get out of his car. But Golden refused, springing on Caban, punching him, pulling his hair, and trying to slam his head into the window. Caban managed to get out his pepper spray and let Golden have it.

  Golden, a brand manager for Taco Bell, was arrested on a misdemeanor charge and fired from his job after video of the assault went viral. He was also banned from ever using Uber again. Caban says he will no longer drive for the ridesharing company either, since he's had too many run-ins with belligerent, obnoxious, and apparently dangerous bros like Golden.
  
• 

  (#4) The Shooter

  On June 1, 2018, Denver police say an Uber driver shot and killed his passenger after an argument. The shooting occurred around 2:45 am. 

  "There appears to be a conflict between an Uber driver and his passenger. The passenger did suffer gunshot wounds or wounds and was transported to the hospital where subsequently he was pronounced dead a short time later," officer Sonny Jackson told CBS Denver.

  The driver, Michael A. Hancock, was handcuffed on site and later arrested for investigation of first-degree murder. Police officers found a semiautomatic Ruger SR 40 tucked in Hancock's waistband. 
• 

  (#5) The Strangler

  In September of 2013, Bridgett Todd was choked by her Uber driver. The incident was an apparent racist attack on the woman, though Uber's CEO was outraged that they could be to blame for it.

  (Source)
• 

  (#6) The Snapper

  Olivia Nuzzi of The Daily Beast once had an Uber driver who, upon entering his vehicle, showed her a picture he had snapped of her earlier in the day while walking on the street. While this Uber horror story is enough to stop anyone from using the service again, Nuzzi later encountered another driver who admitted to seeing her Facebook profile picture before and wanted to know whether or not she was single. 

  (Source)
• 

  (#7) The Kalamazoo Killer

  Michigan Uber driver Jason Brian Dalton was charged with six counts of murder for a rideshare-assisted killing spree in February, 2016. Dalton was accused of driving from one target to another, shooting people at random, and picking up and dropping off Uber riders between shootings.

  Authorities say he shot a woman in the parking lot of an apartment complex, then shot and killed a father and son outside a car dealership, and finished his spree by shooting five people in the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel restaurant, killing four and gravely wounding a 14-year-old girl. Remarkably, he continued driving people around, including one person who took an Uber as an alternative to walking while an active shooter was on the loose - only to wind up in Dalton's car. The rider took the ride having no idea he was in the alleged shooter's car, and wasn't harmed.

  Dalton was arrested without incident in downtown Kalamazoo, with no apparent motive to the killing spree, or connection to the victims.
• 

  (#8) The Five Star

  It's human nature to want to be liked, but some people take it too far. This was the case with one Uber driver, who allegedly locked his passenger in his car and demanded that she give him a five-star rating. When they first arrived at her destination, the driver locked the doors, turned around, and asked her to see her phone to see how much the ride had cost. She showed him, but then he tried to grab the phone and said he would not let her leave until she gave him the best rating. Finally, she did, and only then did he let her leave.

  (Source)
• 

  (#9) The Stalker

  So many rideshare horror stories involve unwanted sexual advances. After taking a Lyft, one woman was repeatedly texted by her driver, asking her to hang out. Although she politely declined, this did not stop his persistence. 

  (Source)
• 

  (#10) The Chicago Rapist

  A Washington woman called an Uber after leaving a bar with some friends. The woman claims that when she was in the car, the driver kept making advances towards her, which she ignored. But when she got out of the car, the driver apparently got out as well, grabbed her from behind, knocked her to the ground, and raped her. The driver was charged with first degree sexual assault.

  (Source) 
• 

  (#11) The Sidecar Predator

  After partying with her friends, one woman took a sidecar home. But once they were a couple of blocks away from her destination, the driver told her that she had the "sexiest voice" he had ever heard and suggested instead of taking her home, they go somewhere to talk. She demanded he let her out. Fortunately, he did, and her boyfriend came to pick her up.

  (Source)
• 

  (#12) Self Driving Car Disaster

  On March 18, 2018 in Tempe, Arizona, a tragic accident occurred involving a self driving Uber car. Around 10 PM, 49 year old Elaine Herzberg was crossing the street at a busy intersection. A self-driving Uber car struck Herzberg and she later died of her injuries. While the car was in autonomous mode, there was a driver behind the wheel. Uber's autonomous vehicle pilot program was suspended briefly after a non-fatal crash involving a self-driving car in December  2016. 
• 

  (#13) The Killer

  In perhaps one of the most tragic and saddest rideshare horror stories to date, Uber driver Syed Muzaffar was arrested for vehicular manslaughter when he struck and killed a six-year-old girl on New Year's Eve. The event happened in San Francisco, and Uber is now facing a wrongful death suit, as it never researched the reckless driving charges the driver had incurred several years before. 

  (Source)
• 

  (#14) The Kidnapper

  After a club bouncer called an Uber for an intoxicated 26-year-old woman in LA, the lady woke up in a hotel hours later, and she wasn't alone. Next to her was her Uber driver, Frederick Dencer – shirtless. The driver was later charged with kidnapping.

  (Source)
• 

  (#15) The Burper

  Sometimes our bodily functions just escape us. But on February 13, 2012, Seth Bender had no idea his burping in his Uber would result in the driver ranting and screaming about how much he hates Americans and homosexuals. When Bender and his friend exited the car, the driver then proceeded to spit in his face and slap him. It's not like Bender didn't excuse himself after burping – he said he did.

  (Source)
• 

  (#16) The Criminal

  When calling an Uber in New Orleans, Hannah Jegart assumed she would be taken right home. What she didn't anticipate is that – mid-ride – her driver would be arrested. Apparently, in the middle of the ride, a "plain-clothed" officer ripped open the driver's door to arrest him. Not only was she suddenly left without a ride home, but it was raining too.

  (Source)
• 

  (#17) The Two Hour Detour

  Most residents of big cities know that they need to be careful of cab drivers taking long routes home on purpose, hoping to run the meter higher. But after a night out partying with her friends, one woman took an LA Uber home, only to have the driver ride around for two hours, finally stopping in an empty parking lot with the doors locked. He only agreed to take her home after she began screaming and yelling at him.

  (Source)
• 

  (#18) The Fondler

  Knowing whether to sit in the back or the front can be a debate for some. But one Uber taker quickly learned her lesson when her Chicago driver asked her to sit in the front, then began fondling her once she did. Later, the driver was charged with a misdemeanor battery.

  (Source)
• 

  (#19) The Hammer

  26-year-old Uber driver Patrick Karajah was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and battery with serious bodily injury after attacking his passenger with a hammer in San Francisco. After picking up a group of friends from a bar at 2am, Karajah and one of the male passengers got into a fight about the route he was taking. Karajah pulled over, forced the man to get out of the car, then hit him with a hammer and drove away.

  (Source)
  
• 

  (#20) The Racist Criminal

  San Francisco UberX driver Daveea Whitmore was not happy when his passenger, a 28-year-old man named James Alva attempted to take photos of Whitmore and his car's license plate. Whitmore allegedly called Alva a "dirty Mexican f----t" and hit him several times. Despite the fact that Uber claims to run background checks on their drivers, Whitmore had "at least one felony conviction involving prison time" for marijuana sales. This, despite Uber's "zero-tolerance" policy for drug offenses.

  (Source)
  
• 

  (#21) The Delhi Rapist

  Terrifying ride share stories don't just take place in the USA. With Uber's expansion across the globe, there have been even more troubling tales from countries like India, where a driver was accused of raping one of his passengers.

  Even more troubling, the driver, 32-year-old Shiv Kumar Yadav was a career criminal who was out on bail for sexually assaulting a woman. In fact, he had a history of shady behavior and had been arrested for other crimes like robbery, molestation and possessing an unlicensed firearm.

  (Source)
  
• 

  (#22) The Getaway Driver

  Passengers looking to get home quickly will never complain about their slow drivers after a story like this. Ryan Simonetti claims his Uber driver took him and two colleagues on a "high speed chase" in Washington, D.C. Simonetti driver began to get nervous after he noticed that taxi inspector was following the car.

  At one point, the driver told his passengers, "I'm sorry, we're going to have to run this red light." He proceeded to drive well above the speed limit, dodging other cars and refusing to slow down. After 8-10 minutes, Simonetti and his friends were released from the car, but their driver fled into Virginia.

  (Source)

New Random Displays    Display All By Ranking