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Gerald Montgomery, a 51-year-old UberX driver, has been arrested on suspicion of second-degree burglary. He was reportedly trying to break into the Denver home of a woman he had just driven to Denver International Airport, and was found carrying "burglar tools". Uber says that Montgomery had passed all background checks, and the man had no criminal history in Colorado according to Colorado Bureau of Investigation records. Montgomery has been "deactivated" from the UberX platform and the Denver victim's fare was refunded.
The UberX platform requires drivers to operate their own vehicles and is less regulated than taxi services. Rides are covered by commercial insurance. An investigation [autoplay video] by NBC Los Angeles last year found that Uber has employed "screened" drivers with long-term felony records.
The company continues to attract unwanted attention around the globe; Uber's headquarters in Amsterdam has been raided twice this week, and an Uber employee has been arrested for obstructing the investigation. The investigators were looking for evidence that the company is continuing to operate UberPop, an urban ridesharing service deemed illegal by a Dutch court.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by janrinok on Sunday April 05 2015, @02:27PM
I was about to say exactly the same thing - I think perhaps it is 'cool' to bash Uber at the moment.
Where Uber does not comply with local laws or regulations - as is the case in the Dutch matter - then it is only right that they be called out. But this burglary could have been committed by anyone who had knowledge of that person's movements - a taxi driver, travel agent, airport staff, neighbour or whatever.