Uber summoned; driver accused of rape

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has called officials of Uber System Inc. to a hearing in connection with a rape complaint filed by a passenger against an Uber car driver in Quezon City.

LTFRB issued a show cause order to the transport network company (TNC) on Friday, asking the firm to disclose details about the driver to help the complainant.

Board member Ariel Inton said the agency had received a report that a 22-year-old woman was sexually abused on Wednesday afternoon by an Uber driver who picked her up at Camp Aguinaldo.

According to a report filed in the Quezon City Police District, the driver of a red Toyota Vios (ARA 3101), identified as Xstian Karlou John Marie, suddenly embraced the victim and told her to hold his genitals while they were passing through Katipunan Avenue, near UP Town Center,  around 2:30 p.m.

As the victim tried to break free from the suspect, he allegedly pulled her hair to force her to perform oral sex, but she managed to escape.

The LTFRB asked Uber officials to appear in a hearing on Aug. 10.

Citing the board’s “frustrations,” Inton noted that Uber “doesn’t give the real identity of their ‘peers’ or driver/operator” as it invokes its privacy policy.

“It has come to our attention that Uber does not disclose the name of the driver or any of its details to their passenger. When a crime is committed, it would be very hard for the victim to file a case because no detail with regard to the perpetrator is provided,” Inton said in a statement.

LTFRB Chair Martin Delgra also ordered Uber to disclose the driver’s identity and other personal details, stressing that “it is a franchise requirement.”

In a statement issued Friday afternoon, Uber said it had already removed the driver—whom it did not name—from its platform and gotten in touch with authorities involved in the investigation.

“First and foremost our thoughts are with the rider and her family. We immediately removed the driver from the Uber platform when we learned of the reported incident and are cooperating fully with law enforcement in their ongoing investigation and stand ready to assist them in every way we can,” the company said. – Jovic Yee