‘I could be raped’: Woman recounts horrific encounter as Uber driver masturbated in front of her | World News

Taylor Pimlott recounted how the driver pulled down his pants and made a subtle hand gesture. She described how there is usually some movement when someone adjusts their clothing, but in this case there was none of that. She could clearly see the driver masturbating with his genitals exposed.

The woman eventually filed a complaint with Uber about the driver’s behavior in the car, who permanently removed his “partner’s access to the app.”

New Delhi: An Australian woman has claimed that an Uber driver masturbated while she was in the car with him, according to a report from Yahoo News. Taylor Pimlott, 26, hailed an Uber from the Adelaide CBD to Campbelltown in October last year. While driving, she noticed something unusual in the back seat that distracted her from her phone.

Pimlott recounted how the driver pulled down his pants and made a subtle hand gesture. She described how there is usually some movement when someone adjusts their clothing, but in this case there was none of that. She could clearly see the driver masturbating with his genitals exposed. After this shocking discovery, Pimlott was preoccupied and fearful of the possibility of a sexual assault inside the vehicle.

“Part of me thought, ‘Oh God, I could die, I could be raped, this man could touch me.’ My brain was frozen and my heart was racing… I was petrified,” she said. The woman decided to keep her composure and pretend nothing had happened, but later admitted that she was ashamed for not facing the situation. “I felt like I would be in more danger if I made such a fuss about it. I had to be polite. I was ashamed,” she said.

Woman files complaint

The woman eventually filed a complaint with Uber about the driver’s behavior in the car, who permanently removed his “partner’s access to the app.” “What was reported has no place in the Uber community or anywhere else. As soon as we were informed of this report, we immediately and permanently removed the driver partner’s access to the app.”

Uber prioritizes passenger safety

“We continue to develop cutting-edge technologies and features to improve safety for drivers and driver partners in the app, such as the Safety Toolkit, the emergency call button and the Share My Ride feature. Rides on the Uber platform are not anonymous and all rides are tracked in real-time via GPS,” an Uber spokesperson said in a statement to Yahoo. After the incident, the woman decided to never use Uber as a means of transportation again. “I thought I was fine. But then I realized, ‘Oh, hey, I can’t really leave my house without suffering from anxiety.’ I’m never using Uber again,” she said.