The main reason to book taxi apps is to secure the travel, but what if you are ‘not feeling safe’ inside a booked taxi. This happened with a Mumbai resident as he shared his experience of feeling unsafe in an Uber taxi.

Expressing deep concern about the driver's distraction, the resident, known as @snakeyesV1 and co-founder of Virtual Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO), publicly criticised the ride-hailing company for the apparent lack of diligence in ensuring safe driving practices among their drivers.

The resident conveyed feeling significantly unsafe while utilising Uber's services, citing a specific incident where the driver was engrossed in watching videos on his phone while navigating through Mumbai's streets.

The widely circulated post on the micro-blogging platform 'X' featured a video showing the driver scrolling through videos on his phone, which was placed on his lap while actively driving. Mr. Venkat's frustration was evident in his statement, where he expressed, "I am not feeling safe to travel in @Uber_India these days as the drivers are driving dangerously.

This driver is watching videos on his mobile by putting his phone on his lap. @MTPHereToHelp this happened in Mumbai. What will you do to stop this? @Uber_Mumbai.”

This viral video of uber driver quickly gained traction, drawing the attention of the Mumbai Police, who responded by saying, "We request you to provide exact location details for further action."

In response, Mr. Venkat provided additional details, stating, “Sir, it is before the Vashi bridge towards Navi Mumbai from Mankhurd. I don’t have the vehicle number. Asked @Uber_India to provide me with the same.”

Several other users joined the conversation, sharing their own experiences of similar driver negligence and expressing concerns about the frequency of such incidents. One user shared a distressing incident involving his wife and baby, while another recounted having to admonish their driver for watching a match on his mobile, citing heavy traffic as an excuse.

Amidst the discussions, Uber responded to the viral post, offering guidance on utilising the "Safety toolkit" option to reach out to their dedicated safety team promptly. They emphasised the importance of using the safety features available within the app to report such incidents.