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'Driver Threatening To Throw Me Out,' Delhi Journalist Tweets To Uber During 'Cab Ride From Hell'

The driver almost crashed into a bus and cancelled all other booking during the pool ride.
An Indian cab driver displays the city map on a smartphone provided by Uber as he drives in New Delhi.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
An Indian cab driver displays the city map on a smartphone provided by Uber as he drives in New Delhi.

A journalist's harrowing experience during an Uber ride in Delhi underscores the immediate need for better safety for women commuters in a city that has a national record for high crime rate. In a series of tweets, Preetha Banerjee detailed her horrific experience on Thursday when she decided to take an Uber cab. It all started when she asked the driver to crank up the AC, an innocuous enough request.

But the driver's response jolted Banerjee.

At around 5:30 pm yesterday, Preetha was on her way back home when she called for an Uber pool, an economic service that allows the commuter to share the cab with other passengers.

When she asked her cab driver to increase the temperature of the AC, her driver snapped at her, telling her that it's his car and he will decide how cold it gets in it.

Uber responded and tried to help her:

While she was tweeting at Uber and narrating her experience, her cab driver started cancelling the other pool alerts coming in.

The driver almost crashed into a bus. At this point, Preetha just wanted her 'hell ride' to end.

Eventually, she stopped the cab a kilometre away from her home. However, the driver kept waiting there. "I see he has not left yet. I smell vengeance. Still scared," she tweeted.

.@Uber_India Just got off. A km away from my house on purpose. I see he has not left yet. I smell vengeance. Still scared.

— Preetha Banerjee (@PreethaBanerjee) September 8, 2016

Later, she tweeted saying she is safe. Meanwhile, Uber said that they are taking strict action against the driver.

Recently, an expatriate working in Mumbai was molested by an Uber driver while taking a trip from Pali Hill in Bandra to Andheri. Later, the Mumbai police arrested him.

"Once your driver has picked you up, share your ETA with your friends and family so they can follow your route and know when to expect you," the blog advices.

It's important to note that Uber India has this advice for commuters who find themselves in similar situations.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.