BOZEMAN — Have you ever felt unsafe getting into an Uber? Maybe the driver was swerving, or something just seemed a little off. Well, that reportedly happened to one rider Wednesday morning, as they sat back and watched their driver get a DUI.
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“How often would you say you Uber?” I asked Pete Brown, a pedestrian I met on Main Street.
"I probably take an Uber once a month,” says Pete.
At some point in time, most folks have been in a situation where they had to pull out their phone and order an Uber. For Pete, he orders Ubers frequently. So, I asked Pete if he’s ever felt unsafe getting into one.
“No, I mean not for myself personally, like physically. Sometimes the driving," he says.
Pete tells me he has been in situations where his Uber driver was acting recklessly.
“Make sure you’re wearing your seat belt, and sometimes asking them to slow down. I mean, but not a whole lot you can do once they start the ride,” Pete says.
A scary scenario to be in. And one that allegedly occurred here in the Bozeman area Wednesday morning. According to court documents, at around 1 a.m., a sheriff's deputy noticed a Gray Toyota Corolla going 20 under the speed limit, swerving down Huffine Lane.
The deputy said he pulled the Corolla over and noticed the driver showing signs of intoxication. At this time, the deputy also noticed a passenger in the back seat. Court documents state the passenger “appeared to be extremely nervous."
The deputy then asked who they were, to which the passenger replied they had ordered an Uber. The deputy was able to safely remove the passenger and get them to a safe location. After the Uber driver reportedly failed a standardized field sobriety test, he was placed under arrest and later charged with aggravated DUI and criminal endangerment.
I reached out to Uber regarding this incident, and a company spokesperson replied: “This report is extremely concerning. Uber has a zero-tolerance policy for any alcohol use on the app and as soon as we learned of this incident, we removed the driver’s access to the platform.”
Uber tells me the passenger has been refunded for that ride.
This incident got me thinking, can anyone just become an Uber driver? So, I pulled out my phone and ordered up an Uber myself.
“I ran into an old coworker. I tried to talk him into coming back to the company I was working for. And he instead talked me into giving this a try,” Scott Nichols tells me.
Scott has been an Uber driver for nearly two years, and for him, it's a full-time job, working around 60-70 hours a week.
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“Signing up to become an Uber driver, they do a background check. It probably took a couple days after I gave them my driver's license,” Scott explains.
Scott tells me it wasn’t long between signing up and having a passenger in his back seat.
“But I've got a pretty good driving record and all I can speak for is myself. So, I really can’t say how thorough their investigation is," he says.
In a statement Uber sent me, they say their driver requirements include having at least one year of licensed driving experience, an eligible 4-door vehicle, a valid US driver’s license, proof of residency, as well as proof of vehicle insurance. Then, Uber will perform a background check, which checks MVR and criminal offenses at the local, state, and federal level.
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Drivers are re-screened annually—and there’s a continuous background checks process in place that monitors for new offenses.
As for Scott, who has snacks and games in his backseat, paired with a 5-star rating on Uber? He tells me a drunk driver isn't something Uber passengers should have to worry about.
“I drive more cautiously when I have passengers on board than when I’m driving by myself. I want them to feel safe,” says Scott.
