(eblaser)
Reminder: If you didn’t call that cab or order that Uber ride, it’s not always safe to just hop in the car and hope to get to your destination. Police in Texas have identified a suspect in connection to an odd incident early last Sunday morning, where two female college students reported that a man pretending to be an Uber driver offered them a ride, saying his fare didn’t show up.
Campus police at Texas Christian University said the man approached the women just before 2 a.m. on Sunday with the lure of a free trip, reports CBS News. When they accepted, he allegedly made indecent comments as they rode in his dark, four-door sedan. They demanded he pulled over, at which point one of the women says he tried to hug her as they escaped the car.
A few days into the hunt for the suspect, police were able to use license plate information to narrow down their search.
“They do have a suspect, but there’s nothing more to release at this point,” the university’s interim director of communications told CBS. It’s unclear if police have arrested the suspect yet.
The university is urging students to only use cabs that they’ve specifically called. Uber echoed that in a statement, saying passengers should only use drivers hailed directly through the ride service’s app, citing the safety of both passengers and drivers: the app shows riders the driver’s name and other identifying information including a license plate number, as well as their trip details. Those details can be shared with friends and family if passengers want someone to follow their trip and make sure they’ve arrived safely.
“Uber driver partners are prohibited from accepting street hails. All trips must be requested through the app,” the company said.
Texas police have suspect in fake Uber driver case [CBS News]
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist
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