
Uber Driver Accused of Raping Passenger in Boston - bpiche
http://time.com/3640027/uber-rape-boston/
======
asn0
Recently-reported rapes by traditional taxi drivers that haven't been on the
front page of HN:

[http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/12/11/cab...](http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/12/11/cab-
driver-charged-with-rape.html)

[http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2014/12/tourist_says_cab...](http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2014/12/tourist_says_cab_driver_raped.html)

[http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Cab-Driver-Arrested-
for-S...](http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/Cab-Driver-Arrested-for-Sexual-
Battery-of-Passenger-Fort-Lauderdale-Police-283966841.html)

[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2844528/Taxi-
driver-...](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2844528/Taxi-driver-three-
friends-sentenced-total-68-years-gang-rape-drunk-woman-passenger.html)

~~~
pekk
They don't involve a "startup" whose raison d'etre is to bypass regulation and
break laws in order to achieve competitive advantage.

~~~
wyager
It's not like they're dumping toxic waste. I'm extremely grateful that Uber
has the balls to break taxi laws, because taxi laws used to have a distinctly
negative impact on my life (namely that I was forced to take taxis).

------
djrogers
This is clearly horrible, but there seems to be a perception that Uber's
business model is somehow conducive to this, or at least related. I'd argue
the opposite - if a regular cab driver (or a gypsy cab) were to commit the
same crime a) nobody would report on it b) you'd have a much harder time
tracking down the perp

With Uber my wife has a record of exact pickup and drop-off location, route
(including any stops for criminal activity) as well as the driver's picture,
name, car description etc. I feel much better about that than I would about a
random yellow cab.

And while we're at it, let's stop holding up cab drivers as paragons of
virtue. I've read so many articles about Uber lately that make it sound like
only the purest of heart and noblest of mankind drive real taxis and pay their
graft ^H^H^H^H^H medallion fees...

~~~
primitive
I don't think Uber's model is necessarily conducive to this, but with small
private hire firms it is likely that any case like this would bankrupt them so
they may be more careful about drivers they take on. Uber has scale, but that
also divorces it from the effects of "one bad apple".

Also, while I agree that taxi drivers are no better than any group - if you've
paid for a medallion I doubt you would waste all that on committing a crime
like this.

Running an unlicensed cab - now that is a dodgy bunch of people that no-one
should get in a car with.

~~~
applecore
Few (if any) taxi drivers are medallion owners. Drivers pay lease fees to
access medallions and the vehicles to which they're attached.

~~~
king_jester
True, but in some places taxi drivers are vetted or have background check to
some degree before being allowed to operate. The question is are Uber's
practices too lax in this regard?

------
codyb
I can't tell if these are legitimate growing pains any company experiencing
such a growth spurt might incur or if these are a fault of Uber's.

Dumb comments made by CEOs, rapes by drivers all over the world.

The dumb comments by the CEOs are dumb, but they're just that.

The rapes on the other hand? A quick google search turns up a slew of results
for taxi rape. It doesn't appear to be endemic but it doesn't appear to be
uncommon. Of course, were Uber to dismiss these charges as "things that
happen" there'd be a slew of outrage. But what solutions are there? Panic
buttons? How do you track millions of separate entities all across the globe?
And what do you do when someone presses the panic button? Are police able to
get there in time? Do the police do "the right thing" half the time?

My belief is in India, often times, the "face" (as the Chinese use the term,
to save face) of a rapist may often be considered more worthy of protection
than the woman.

These are tough questions that the company must use considerable tact in
handling.

They're not going to be able to offer free rides for _every_ national disaster
such as the one that occurred recently in Sydney. Will they set up a control
center to monitor world events and observe when not to jack prices up?

And can any one reporter, group of people, or group in general understand and
come up with a perfect way to handle a forty billion dollar globe spanning
company which deals with people at such an individual level.

Most companies of that scale don't deal with individuals in confined spaces
where trust is a prerequisite and many times assumed. Can a company handle
that level of scrutiny on a global scale?

If a rape occurs in a NYC yellow cab, the damage is relatively confined to the
NYC yellow cabs (still a seriously large market but the point is made).
However when allegations come from all over the world every day, can any
company withstand the pressures?

~~~
saraid216
> My belief is in India, often times, the "face" (as the Chinese use the term,
> to save face) of a rapist may often be considered more worthy of protection
> than the woman.

This is in no way restricted to India. Google any rape story involving a
promising high school or college athlete in America. Watch how the community
steps into formation to defend the kids' futures.

~~~
throwaway90446
Not without cause. The recent UVA scandal, the semi-recent duke lacrosse
scandal, and the unconscionable number of rape convicts being exonerated and
released on account of dna evidence being tested with modern methods all point
to the need for defense of the accused.

It's almost as if accused rapists, like other accused criminals, should be
innocent until proven guilty.

~~~
saraid216
Sufficient legal aid for the accused has nothing to do with saving face.
Perhaps someone who runs under a throwaway isn't familiar with that
distinction?

------
wldcordeiro
Key word here is accused. Nothing is proven yet so let's not jump to
conclusions. Also as asn0 has said, traditional taxis have more rape issues
and they have nowhere near the level of record keeping Uber does to help
authorities solve these issues.

~~~
pekk
Why would someone falsely accuse an Uber driver of rape? Humor me.

~~~
intopieces
I don't think this is a fair question. Just because you (or any single person)
cannot think of a reason, does not mean that a reason does not exist. It
doesn't mean a reason exists, either. The point is - we don't know. It's a
question and needs an answer before we draw conclusions.

------
bpiche
this is not simply a problem of 'at least two' uber drivers having been
charged with raping passengers since sunday, but the fact that it is
symptomatic of a pattern of flouting laws in boston (and other areas
certainly). here in the bean uber has already been convicted of making up $10
airport passenger fees when the commonwealth itself only enforces ~$3 (and
then only on licensed cabs). rape is not a disease specific to uber and it
certainly afflicts the larger livery industry, but kalanick's brand of
deregulation and aggressive 'asshole capitalism' arguably provides a perfect
stew for these crimes to occur. it's only worse for the fact that they are
publicly known and still think they can get away with it

~~~
icebraining
_kalanick 's brand of deregulation and aggressive 'asshole capitalism'
arguably provides a perfect stew for these crimes to occur._

How so? Exactly what mechanism would lead to that?

------
rbobby
One difference with taxi cabs is that many of them have security video systems
in the car. These are primarily for driver safety, but can also be for
passenger safety.

Some taxis also have a driver safety system that when engaged will flash a
light on the rear of the cab to notify folks to call the police that the
driver needs help. I wonder if thieves will start robbing uber driver (car
jack) because of a general lack of security systems?

~~~
dnautics
ubers don't carry cash, so it's no better than robbing a private car. Taxis do
carry cash, which is why they desire those systems.

~~~
rbobby
I was thinking of car jacking... taking the entire car.
UberLux/UberSux/UberBlack is essentially an on demand high end vehicle for
thieves. They'd need a burner cell phone and stolen credit card... but that's
a pretty low barrier.

~~~
dnautics
Still not that much better than jacking a private car.

------
nickpresta
I couldn't find it mentioned in the time.com article or the original source,
btu was this an UberX vehicle or an UberTaxi, etc?

I can definitely see this sort of thing happening with UberX, less so with
UberTaxi (certainly no less likely than a regular taxi in this case).

------
fiatjaf
What is missing in all this are real checks. People need to be more
blacklisted. Every person that seems suspect or that have done something
slight bad to you should be denounced publicly in a way that can be verified
and consulted later.

------
known
Just 2% rapists are convicted/punished by courts in India.

[http://ncrb.gov.in/CD-CII2011/cii-2011/Chapters.htm](http://ncrb.gov.in/CD-
CII2011/cii-2011/Chapters.htm)

------
pearjuice
I am surprised this is the first incident. Uber is an excellent way for the
criminial circuit to get cheap hits. Not only sexual abuse but also theft,
abduction and extortion. Step in the car, lock the doors and put a mobile
signal distortion device in the back and boom you can take your passenger
anywhere you want.

~~~
bpiche
It's not the first incident, it's the fourth incident from ride sharing
companies in Boston this month, and the Commonwealth has already confirmed
that two of them were from Uber

~~~
bpiche
[http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/12/16/least-two-
women-...](http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/12/16/least-two-women-who-
reported-sexual-assaults-boston-sunday-were-using-uber-police-
say/cFHpgzcfIoBYiTfWgOqYOK/story.html?p1=Article_Related_Box_Article_More)

------
droopyEyelids
It's important that we forgive Uber for these unfortunate incidents. It's
wrong to pick on an innocent company for the misdeeds of a few employees.

~~~
primitive
I'm pretty sure people would be after blood from most companies if the rape
occurred on company time and company premises.

(Yes I know the cab isn't owned by Uber, but the analogy fits)

