An Uber driver in the United Kingdom reportedly drove into a canal and the passenger was still charged for the watery journey. After the accident received media attention, the Silicon Valley ridesharing giant later refunded the passenger who had to walk home from the accident scene through “not the nicest area.”
The Manchester Evening News reports that a UK woman named Emma Lavelle has spoken out about her recent Uber trip in which the driver crashed into a canal in Salford, a trip the Silicon Valley ridesharing giant still charged her for. Lavelle was a passenger in the vehicle when the incident took place in Eccles in the early hours of the morning on April 11.
The 30-year-old woman said that she noticed her Uber driver heading towards the Bridgewater Canal and told him to stop but the driver ignored her entirely and turned left, sending the car directly into the water.
The driver later told police that he had been following his navigation system, taking its directions from Worsley Road. Lavelle, who works as a transport manager in Eccles, said that she managed to get out of the vehicle and was told by the driver to walk the rest of the way home.
Lavelle told the Manchester Evening News “He turned down the wrong street and I said, ‘You shouldn’t be here, don’t continue down that road, there’s a canal.’ He just carried on and I told him he was in the canal.”
Lavelle added: “He asked me if I could get out and thankfully, I could. He said ‘are you okay to walk home?’ It’s a 15-minute walk and not the nicest area to walk on your own. But it could have been a lot worse.”
Both Lavelle and the driver were unharmed and police were able to recover the vehicle from the water. Lavelle says that she has since been refunded from Uber for the journey.
Lavelle stated: “I emailed them on Sunday saying I was involved in an accident and had still been charged. They said they would investigate but no one came back to me, then when it was on the news, I contacted them again with the article and they emailed to say they would give me a refund.”
An Uber spokesperson stated: “We are currently investigating this concerning report. The safety of our customers, drivers who use the Uber app and the general public is a top priority for Uber. All drivers who use the app are required to adhere to the Highway Code, and any dangerous driving can result in drivers being removed from the app.”
Read more at the Manchester Evening News here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com