Yet another story of a driver for a ride-sharing company misbehaving has gone viral in Indonesia, prompting the company to fire the driver amidst the controversy.
This latest story, which involves an Uber driver, was shared by a passenger named Novella. According to a post which Novella published on Path and was picked up by Kompas, she and her two friends ordered an Uber to go from Central Park mall in West Jakarta to a hospital. When the ride arrived, one of Novella’s friends was still inside the mall so Novella asked the driver to wait for her.
But the driver, who Novella described as impatient and unkind, said in a loud tone that they should leave the friend behind because he isn’t getting paid much by Uber and the car is continually consuming fuel while waiting.
According to Novella, she and her friend then got out of the car and cancelled the ride. The driver went after them to demand payment, but Novella refused to pay as she was taking advantage of a promo and the ride was going to be free anyway. Before he left, the driver took out a Rp 10,000 bill and threw it at Novella’s face, saying, “You can’t afford to pay Uber, huh? Here, I’ll pay you Rp 10,000.”
Not only that, Novella says she later received a phone call from the driver, who allegedly threatened her safety and said that he would visit her house.
Uber Indonesia Head of Communications, Dian Safitri, said the company regrets what happened to Novella and her friends. As a result, Uber has terminated their working partnership with the driver following the company’s investigation into the incident.
Uber did not say whether or not they would report the driver’s alleged threats against Novella to the authorities.
This is not the first time a driver is fired in Indonesia after a passenger’s complaint became viral online. Just last month, a Go-Car driver was fired from his job after the passenger complained that he drove recklessly and that he wielded a gun-shaped object (which Go-Jek later clarified was a lighter, not an actual gun).
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