BALTIMORE — Amid a rise in crimes concentrating on persons who use rideshare applications, a previous Lyft driver alleges the organization forever deactivated her account soon after carrying a stun gun in the automobile for defense.
Again on Dec. 9, Anita Smith of Baltimore said a passenger noticed the purple stun gun and created a report to Lyft following staying dropped off.
“I deemed it defense. They viewed as it a weapon,” mentioned Smith. “No mace, no stun gun, no weapons at all, according to the e-mail they sent me.”
Smith stated, as a previous faculty bus driver, she drove for Lyft for the duration of the summer season months around the past 4 years. But immediately after not long ago leaving the position in Baltimore County, driving for the rideshare firm turned a fulltime career 6 months in the past.
In portion because of to latest stories of Baltimore Police investigating an uptick in carjackings and robberies concentrating on drivers and travellers employing rideshare apps, Smith claimed she wished security and unknowingly violated the firm’s weapons policy.
“Monetarily it’s a pressure, so now I am in the method of hoping to come across work,” Smith discussed.
Both of those Lyft and Uber provide in-application basic safety measures for drivers and passengers.
According to Lyft, if a driver feels unsafe, that human being can connect with an ADT security professional. ADT will then warn regulation enforcement of the driver’s site and information about the car.
If a driver indicators for support but does not reply to a call or textual content from ADT, the safety corporation will then contact 911.
Other Lyft alternatives consist of “silent escalation”. The element can be activated as the name implies, silently, allowing for motorists to ask for assistance with no owning to say a word.
Some travellers mentioned those functions could be helpful but may not be sufficient to allow drivers to really feel safe and sound even though performing.
“They have to have some thing to defend themselves. We are living in Baltimore,” claimed Herb Hopkins.
Other individuals mentioned non-deadly weapons must be permitted.
“Not guns or just about anything like that but mace, tasers that way if any individual come up to them and threaten them, they can tase them or mace them and be equipped to get away,” explained Corinne Savage.
The former Lyft driver explained these sorts of policy modifications must be deemed for present-day drivers.
“I believe we really should be ready to safeguard ourselves when we are on their platform,” mentioned Smith. “I feel that they truly need to rethink their policies.”
In a assertion, a Lyft spokesperson stated just about every robbery and carjacking incident involving their app noted to law enforcement is becoming investigated:
“Security is fundamental to Lyft, and the incidents explained are deeply troubling. We have attained out to just about every of the impacted motorists to provide our assistance and have been in touch with legislation enforcement to aid with their investigation. These crimes are totally unacceptable and we are fully commited to executing what we can to maintain motorists protected.”
