A woman has been left bewildered by her Uber driver’s dashboard set-up during a morning commute to work in Sydney.
On Wednesday, Eve*, jumped into the ride-sharing car expecting a relatively risk-free journey.
Then she noticed the driver’s unusual set-up from her spot in the back passenger seat.
“I’d actually thought he was on a phone call, which is pretty standard. Not long into the ride I clocked that the driver had a second phone mounted to the dash with YouTube videos playing on it, and that’s what I’d been hearing,” Eve told news.com.au.
The driver had not one, but two devices attached to mounts on his dashboard.
On one device, the Uber app displays information relating to the ride, including directions, the customer’s details and the time left until arrival.
The other was playing a YouTube clip, with commentary regarding the Pakistan cricket team.
“I think we always hope that whoever is in the driver’s seat has their eyes on the road, and not on a screen. It’s one thing being in the care with family or friends – but when you’re being paid to take someone from A to B, I’m trusting my safety with you and it’s reasonable to expect that your attention be on driving,” Eve said.
“You can’t be fully present if you’re watching a YouTube video behind the wheel of a car.”
At one point, one of the screens switched to DiDi, leading Eve to believe he’d touched the phone while stopped at a red light.
“At the end of the ride, when Uber prompts them to start looking for their next pick-up, he switched from YouTube to Didi on the second phone. So he had one phone with Uber on it, and one with Didi on it,” she recalled.
Once she’d arrived at her destination she decided to alert Uber to the incident.
“I reported the driver on the Uber app pretty much immediately as I got out of the car. To their credit, their response was pretty quick, if generic. They said they’d look into it and that I wouldn’t be matched with that driver again,” she said.
Uber says they expect their drivers to adhere to their guidelines and road laws at all times.
“Uber is committed to the safety of everyone who uses the platform, and this is not the behaviour we expect from drivers. We have contacted both parties involved in this matter and have taken appropriate action in line with our Community Guidelines,” a spokesperson for Uber told news.com.au.
In New South Wales, the law states that drivers are allowed to keep a device stationary in a mount on the dashboard while driving; however, there are strict requirements and restraints.
Phones must remain hands-free in the holder with the exception of touching it to make or receive calls, to play audio or to use a driver’s aid such as a navigation app.
Drivers must not use any other function, including texting, social media, streaming or photography.
Doing so can result in demerit points and fines of over $500 for illegal mobile phone use.
Eve also notes that calling drivers out in these circumstances isn’t straight forward, particularly when you’re a woman.
“Being alone in a stranger’s care is an inherently unequal situation. I’m in his space, he’s totally in control of the car, the locks, and the route,” she explained.
“Women CONSTANTLY have to calculate in situations when men don’t have to. Confronting him comes with risk – and I have no idea how a stranger will respond. I’m acutely aware that he could have left me on the side of the road, or worse, trapped inside the car. I chose to be uncomfortable and cross my fingers I arrived in one piece.”
*Names have been altered.
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