A young woman is warning other rideshare passengers after she says her Uber driver canceled a late-night trip while she was still inside the car.
Elyse Madrid, 22, said she and a friend ordered an Uber at about 2:30 a.m. on a recent Saturday to travel from Chicago’s Belmont Cragin neighborhood to a karaoke bar, according to CBS News Chicago.
During the trip, Madrid noticed they did not appear to be heading in the right direction. Her concern grew when she said she watched the driver cancel the trip in the app while she and her friend were still sitting inside the vehicle.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Madrid for comment.
Uber told Fox News Digital that the driver in question has been removed from the platform while the incident is being investigated.
“What has been reported is deeply distressing, and we have removed the driver’s access to the Uber platform,” an Uber spokesperson said. “We’ve reached out to police, and will support their investigation in any way we can.”
Madrid said she confronted the driver. She said he blamed the cancellation on problems with his phone and at one point claimed his sister had canceled the trip.
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She demanded that he pull over and eventually got out of the vehicle with her friend on Randolph Street near the Kennedy Expressway, according to the same outlet.
“When we got out the car, he sped off like in a panic,” Madrid said.
She said the driver took off at about 40 to 50 mph. Madrid later filed a police report.
The experience was particularly troubling for Madrid, who said she had been assaulted in a cab the previous August.
Dillon Abend, the New Jersey-based founder and CEO of rideshare safety app 3rd-i, told Fox News Digital that passengers should speak up during a ride as soon as they notice something unusual.
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“You do not want to stay silent,” Abend said. “You do want to stand up for yourself and speak out.”
If a driver cancels a trip while the passenger is still inside, Abend says a rider should stay calm, ask what happened and clearly state where the rider wants to be dropped off.
If the driver does not cooperate or if the passenger believes there is an immediate threat, he said people should call 911 and alert a trusted friend or family member.
Abend also recommended that people share a live location with someone and check that the driver, vehicle and license plate match the information shown in the rideshare app before even getting inside.
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Unexpected changes in direction can also be a warning sign.
Abend said riders can use a separate mapping app to check whether they are still heading toward their destination if something seems off.
The incident comes about a month after another woman said her late-night Uber driver asked to stop at a parking garage to charge his electric vehicle before missing an exit, Fox News Digital previously reported.
That passenger ultimately ended the trip and contacted police.
Uber told Fox News Digital at the time that it investigated the report and took appropriate action.
