UBER Removes Driver After Toy Gun Incident
Jakarta. Ride-hailing service Uber has apologized and removed a driver from its platform on Wednesday (06/07) after he allegedly threatened passengers with a toy gun during a trip a day earlier.
The incident occurred just weeks after the government forced Uber and rival services including Grab and Go-Car to operate in the country with oversight comparable to other modes of public transport.
The driver allegedly pointed a fake pistol at the woman, her friend and her sick mother to force them out of his car after he realized that there was heavy traffic congestion on the way to their destination.
Uber Indonesia communications head Dian Safitri said in an e-mailed response to the Jakarta Globe.
“We can confirm that we immediately removed the driver from the Uber platform when we learned of the reported incident. We stand ready to assist the authorities in every way we can,”.
The availability of ride-hailing app services has grown rapidly in Indonesia over the past two years, offering cheaper and more efficient services. Moreover, the service supposedly offers a safer experience compared to regular taxies, whose image had been tarnished after various cases of robbery involving drivers.
Starting in May, the government has allowed ride-hailing app services to continue operations as long as they comply with certain requirements, which includes that all drivers must form part of cooperatives or companies and obtain special public transport driver’s licenses.
The government said earlier that it would only tolerate three violations by drivers before revoking the license of the car rental company that employs those drivers.
