Ola driver Sajid Mehmood was found guilty of the indecent assault of two female customers. Photo / Alex Burton
Sexual complaints about taxi and rideshare drivers have surged over the past five years and police are warning of emerging cases of fake drivers preying on unsuspecting passengers.
They say in other cases, predatory drivers are seeking intimate favours for lower fares.
“We are starting to see some complaints where the victim thinks they are getting into an Uber but it’s not,” says Detective Inspector Scott Beard, the head of the Auckland police adult sexual assault team.
“We’ve had a couple of those recently. We can’t go to Uber because it turns out it’s not a [rideshare service].”
In one case, a woman was allegedly sexually assaulted.
Uber says it’s aware of media reports around the world of fake drivers and urges customers to use safety features on the Uber app to ensure their driver is authentic.
The number of reported sexual complaints about taxi and rideshare drivers has jumped dramatically over the past five years.
Figures released to the Herald by transport agency Waka Kotahi show there were 22 sexual complaints in 2016 and 14 in 2017.
But with the rise of rideshare apps and easier reporting systems and an increase in smaller, independent operators operating under fewer regulations, the number of sexual complaints has been far higher in subsequent years – 37 in 2018, 83 in 2019, 49 in 2020 (the first year of restricted travel caused by Covid-19 lockdowns), 75 in 2021, 64 in 2022, and 43 so far this year.
“There is no doubt we are seeing an increase in complaints, particularly of a sexual nature,” said Beard.
He said police were also regularly hearing of drivers offering to reduce the fare if, for example, the passenger would let the driver kiss them.
It was unfair, he said, to label all drivers as sexual predators; there were bad apples in any industry.
“But we do get complaints of a sexual nature, and we have charged people,” said Beard.
He said police in Auckland city district had dealt with around a dozen cases involving taxis and rideshare companies this year.
Often complainants were intoxicated and by themselves, he said. “It’s a difficult one when people are intoxicated because they are not thinking clearly or straight.”
It went back to the adage from school days of being aware of “stranger danger”.
People were getting into vehicles, he said, where the driver was not known.
Passengers should sit in the back seat to create a barrier and, wherever possible, travel with a companion.
Beard believed the rise of the #MeToo movement meant people were more aware of predatory behaviour. There was more awareness of, and willingness to, report sexual violence.
The Small Passenger Service Association (formerly the Taxi Federation) – which represents many of the country’s major cab firms – wants to see more rules re-introduced into the industry including greater regulatory oversight of taxi firms.
As we investigate today, there are also major issues of passengers being ripped off – charged exorbitant fares by independent, ‘untraceable’ cabbies, including after major events.
“It’s very, very concerning,” said association executive director Warren Quirke of the rise in sexual complaints.
Waka Kotahi has also released figures showing 342 drivers with passenger endorsement licences (this includes buses as well as taxis and rideshares) have had those licences revoked or suspended between 2018 and 2022.
While the agency did not have a breakdown on the type of offending that had led to the suspension or revocation of licences, “In practice the majority ... relate to serious or repeat offending, including assault, sexual offending or careless/dangerous driving,” said a spokesman.
An Ola driver was last month convicted of two indecent assault charges against female passengers and unsuccessfully sought name suppression and a discharge without conviction in court.
Sajid Mehmood, 50, picked up a young woman in Auckland city at 12.30am on December 31, 2021, and encouraged her into the front seat. She declined, and sat in the back.
“The defendant then said, ‘You look very nice,’ and, ‘Nice perfume’,” according to the agreed summary of facts for the case, presented in the Auckland District Court. “Feeling uncomfortable at the comments being made, the victim began recording live Instagram posts.”
Mehmood reached for her hand at the end of the trip, and then pulled the woman towards him with the comment ‘Can I?’, the court heard.
“No,” the woman said.
Ten days later, Mehmood touched a woman’s knee as she sat in the front seat during a 4am trip, on the pretence the fabric of her skirt was similar to garments worn in his native Pakistan. He then ran his hand up her leg, to her thigh and hip.
Judge Kevin Phillips rejected Mehmood’s bid for a discharge without conviction and name suppression.
“People get into these vehicles trusting the drivers,” he said. “There is a very strong expectation ... that the drivers are trustworthy and responsible.”
“Your remorse, to me, is entirely questionable,” Judge Phillips told the court, describing the two women as being in vulnerable situations.
“It has majorly impacted upon their feelings of safety ... and trust of rideshare drivers.”
One of Mehmood’s victims also opposed suppression.
“His disgusting actions have affected every part of my life,” the woman wrote. “I did not ask for this. I did not deserve this. And I will not stand for this.
“I should have been safe. His passengers should have been safe.”
It was revealed that Ola was aware Mehmood was under investigation by police after the first incident but failed to revoke his licence before the second incident.
Ola has not responded to Herald inquiries about the wider issue of sexual complaints.
An Uber spokesperson said 99.9 per cent of all Uber rides were completed safely.
“The bad news is that sexual harassment pervades every industry and every community globally – and rideshare and other transport modes are no exception,” the spokesperson said.
“Unlike other modes of transport, Uber prompts riders and driver-partners for feedback after every trip. We not only offer multiple ways for people to report issues to us, we encourage people to report, which we believe is crucial given how under-reported sexual harassment is across society.”
The spokesperson said any reports of sexual misconduct or assault were acted on immediately.
“Access to the app is immediately suspended while our specialist team investigates. If we have information that a rider or driver has perpetrated a sexual assault we permanently deactivate them from Uber. We also provide reporting parties with information to give to the police, if they choose to report, and resources to get help.”
The spokesperson said the company had rolled out educational modules for driver-partners “on what is and isn’t appropriate behaviour, developed specialised training for our incident response team, [and] enhanced our processes in line with best practices”.
“While we acknowledge there will always be work to do, we are committed to learning, listening, and playing our part in developing solutions to help tackle the societal issue of sexual misconduct head-on.”
In cases where people were pretending to be Uber drivers, the spokesperson highlighted safety features on the Uber app such as ‘Verify my ride’ – a four-digit pin code provided to the rider which the driver must verify and enter for the trip to start.
“Aside from this, we always send a pre-trip notification reminding riders to check the driver’s photo and license number before getting into the car. if the details don’t match - our advice is for riders to report it to us or the police.”
The 19-year-old disappeared without her wallet or mobile phone.