I drove Uber for a while when going to college a little over a decade ago. I had minors (without a parent) ride on a few occasions. Some of them ordered the Uber ride themselves, and some were ordered by a parent. Except when they were in a group I always insisted they ride in the back, while I let adults decide their preference.
There were a couple of occasions when it was very uncomfortable. One was when I picked up a group of four very young black males who had been kicked out of a movie theater (a security guard was present to be sure they left), and that was the most unsafe I ever felt as a driver (even though they were probably 11-12 years old).
In another case I picked up four older, but underage, teen girls (I’d guess 14-16) who were shopping at an upscale outdoor mall. They sang rap songs with sexually explicit lyrics played from their smartphones. Very awkward and uncomfortable to say the least.
But I also took a couple of young kids to school a few times who went from an upscale neighborhood to a private school. The older of the two was probably about 13 and booked the rides himself. They were very polite and intelligent.
You don’t know much about who you are picking up until you arrive and, when I drove, canceling would cause you to not only miss out on a fair but possibly bump you down the priority list for other rides because Uber has to find a new driver who will accept.
I’d advise anyone who chooses to do such a job to invest in a dashcam that documents everything.
When I drove there was no policy on this. But I just checked and apparently Uber has implemented a policy regulating unaccompanied minors riding. The driver has the option to require proof of age and will not be penalized for declining a ride and should report this where it is not allowed. In some cases teenagers can ride without a parent under a family account where the parent is monitoring. So the situation in this story appears to be a violation of Uber policies because the father was unaware of his daughter doing this. If the Uber policy had been followed the dad would at least know where his daughter was. I think Uber and the driver might have some liability in this case. The dad’s choice seems foolish in retrospect, but in the heat of the moment it kind of makes sense.
“I think Uber and the driver might have some liability in this case. The dad’s choice seems foolish in retrospect, but in the heat of the moment it kind of makes sense.”
Then there was the first Uber driver that took her to another town without the father knowing.