‘Come fast, I am in the mood’: Uber auto driver sends inappropriate messages to woman; banned after outcry

In a disturbing incident highlighting safety concerns, Tanya Sharma, an Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) lawyer, took to LinkedIn to recount her experience of harassment by an Uber auto driver. While Sharma did not explicitly mention where the incident occurred, her LinkedIn profile indicates that she is based in Delhi.

Sharma shared that she was subjected to inappropriate messages from the driver after booking a ride on the Uber app.

The messages, which Sharma labelled “pathetic and traumatic”, were sent within minutes of booking the ride. The driver texted, “Jaldi ao babu yrr. Man ho raha hai,” translating to “Come fast, I am in the mood”. Disturbed by the unsolicited messages, Sharma promptly cancelled the ride and filed a complaint with Uber.

In her LinkedIn post, she criticised Uber India's grievance redressal process, stating,“Uber's process is to send a sympathetic message to the aggrieved and forget about it... is this how it works?”

Uber's initial response

Uber initially responded to Sharma's complaint with a generic message, stating they would investigate the matter and gather information from the involved parties. Their response included an assurance that an incident response team could be contacted within 30 minutes of a trip.

However, Sharma expressed dissatisfaction with the pace of action, questioning the 48-hour timeframe mentioned in their follow-up response. In a subsequent post, she addressed Uber’s Grievance Officer, saying,“What if this same thing happened to other women during these so-called 48 hours of your policy? Are you prepared to take responsibility for my safety and the safety of other women out there?”

Uber bans driver

After receiving overwhelming support from her network, Sharma later confirmed that Uber had permanently banned the driver from its platform. She thanked her supporters and urged others to escalate such issues, stating,“Please escalate such matters with seriousness and, more importantly, let others be aware.”

Safety concerns persist

This incident has reignited conversations around the safety of ride-hailing services in India, with many users sharing their own experiences of harassment. Critics have called for stricter screening processes for drivers and a more robust and swift grievance redressal system to ensure the safety of passengers.