Uber Drove Off With A Child And A $7 Credit Was Its Apology

Rideshare services are supposed to offer affordable rides from the convenience of a smartphone app. However, a Toronto woman discovered last month how rideshares can go wrong after an Uber driver pulled away from her boyfriend's home with her five-year-old daughter sleeping in the back row. The mother and daughter eventually reconnected, but without any help from Uber. The incident shed light on the bureaucratic nightmare lurking on the other side of the touchscreen when genuine emergencies strike.

The couple attended a Toronto Raptors basketball game with her two children and his two children, according to the CBC. The six of them loaded into an Uber for a ride home on the cold March night. The woman, only identified as Julia, and her boyfriend discussed the logistics of wrangling their four kids inside after the trip. The daughter has fallen asleep during the ride, so they decided to get their three sons inside first, along with their car seats and coats. Julia would then walk back and carry her daughter inside. However, when she went back, the Uber was gone.

It's impossible to describe the panic that sets in after losing a child. Julia said she held herself together for her son. She immediately contacted Uber to try and reach their driver, but the customer service representative refused. Julia then called 911. The responding officer called Uber, and the rideshare operator stated that the Toronto Police Service would have to fill out a digital emergency disclosure request form.

Without Uber's help, it took Toronto police 90 minutes to find the vehicle over 12 miles away. The police stated that the driver was completely unaware that there was a five-year-old girl in the back. The police drove Julia to reconnect with her daughter, and she was thankfully unharmed. For the ordeal, Uber sent her boyfriend a $7 credit. Julia felt the credit was insulated and is seeking compensation for the emotional stress and organizational changes in how Uber handles emergencies. She told the CBC:

"I made it very clear, you can offer me $1 million. If there are no policy changes, I will not be accepting that, I need to see policy change here. No one should have to go through what we went through."

For its part, Uber stated the usual response that the safety of its users is its top priority and that the company's employees followed the set standards in place. The rideshare company promises to look for ways to improve its process, but I don't think the threat of legal action would be the primary compelling factor. For example, a New Jersey couple attempted to sue Uber after suffering life-altering injuries in a 2022 crash. However, Uber successfully argued in court that the couple agreed to the app's arbitration clause in its Terms of Use when their daughter used Uber Eats to order a pizza. Yes, they lost their right to legal recourse because their kid got a pizza.