In Chicago, a man was charged in five area cases. He picked up four of his five victims by claiming to be an Uber driver.
Driver accused of locking customer in vehicle and demanding sex
A Chicago-area Uber driver was ordered held on $100,000 of bond based on the allegation that he demanded sex from a 19-year-old passenger. The allegations continued: When she refused, the driver repeatedly locked the car’s doors and refused to let her out. She ultimately jumped out of the moving vehicle when it slowed in traffic.
Uber said it removed the driver from its service.
Raised prices during transit malfunctions
When trains were out of service Uber sometimes charged far higher prices.
For example, during an August 15, 2017 train service disruption in Chicago, Uber charged as much as five times its normal prices. A spokeswoman for Chicago’s Business Affairs and Consumer Protection department remarked: “It is unfortunate that at least two ride-share companies chose to take advantage of this morning’s difficult commuter situation.” Under pressure, Uber refunded passengers who paid a surge in this period.
Litigation: driver assaulted passenger with a metal rod, yielding bleeding in brain
TMZ reported a lawsuit by a Chicago Uber passenger who says driver Munstr Abuseimi punched him repeatedly — then came back to his house with a metal rod which he used for further attacks. The passenger said he received a fractured left orbital, bleeding in his brain, concussion, and a dislocated jaw with nerve injury. Uber did not comment but said the driver no longer has access to the company’s app.
Inferior access to passengers who use wheelchairs (Chicago)
An October 2016 complaint, filed by the nonprofit Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago, criticized Uber’s shortage of wheelchair-accessible vehicles, alleging that the few accessible vehicles were rarely available, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.