Cincinnati crime uptick puts spotlight on rideshare driver safety
BY Javari Burnett Cincinnati
CINCINNATI — When people think about rideshare safety, passengers usually come to mind first. But drivers face daily risks as well — often picking up strangers with little information about who’s stepping into their car.
What You Need To Know
A recent uptick in crime in Cincinnati has rideshare drivers like Braeden Moore staying alert
Red Tiger Martial Arts offers practical training focused on fitness, confidence and real-world scenarios
Violent incidents involving rideshare drivers have been seen several parts of the state, most recently in Akron
According to Uber’s most recent U.S. Safety Report, there were 36 fatal assaults and more than 2,700 reports of serious sexual assaults connected to Uber trips over a two-year span. Some of the victims were drivers.
Braeden Moore, an Uber driver in Cincinnati, said safety is always on his mind, especially after a recent uptick in violent crime in the city.
“From the beginning, I’ve had my own precautions,” Moore said. “I’ll pick up in most areas, but if I pull up and it doesn’t feel safe, I cancel the ride.”
Moore, who holds Uber’s Diamond status and a five-star rating, says the experience he provides goes beyond transportation. He keeps cold water and snacks stocked in his car. It’s something he said helps riders feel comfortable, especially in the summer heat.
According to the city’s public safety dashboard, there have been 382 robberies, 1,374 auto thefts, and 1,687 thefts from vehicles in Cincinnati so far this year.
And it’s not just a local issue. In Akron, a rideshare driver was shot six times earlier this year during an alleged robbery attempt. The suspect was later arrested.
As crime incidents involving rideshare drivers increase, some are turning to self-defense training for additional protection.
Red Tiger Martial Arts, located inside the Cincinnati Taekwondo Center, offers practical training focused on fitness, confidence and real-world scenarios.
“We teach all four combat skills — kicking, striking, takedowns and submissions,” said Sifu Paul Mason, founder of the school. “Attackers tend to go after people they perceive as victims. Projecting confidence can make a big difference.”
According to a report from the Center for Anti-Violence Education, 96% of participants in self-defense programs said they felt more empowered to defend themselves if needed.
Moore said he’s noticed improvements in Uber’s safety features, including the PIN verification system, which prevents a ride from starting unless the driver and rider’s PINs match. Still, he believes more could be done.
“It’d be great if we could see a person’s name and photo before accepting a ride,” he said. “At the end of the day, drivers need to do whatever they need to do to protect themselves.”
Gov. Polis rejects rideshare safety bill prompted by sexual assault of state lawmaker
By Bente Birkeland and Jesse Paul, The Colorado Sun
·May. 23, 2025, 3:31 pm
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Gov. Jared Polis on Friday vetoed a rideshare safety measure that was prompted by the alleged sexual assault of a state lawmaker during a Lyft ride.
House Bill 1291 aimed to improve safety for rideshare passengers and drivers, including by adding background check requirements, banning drivers from offering passengers food and drink and giving drivers more leeway to record rides. But it faced significant pushback from the rideshare giants Uber and Lyft.
The companies said it would add costly and unworkable burdens and fail to make rideshare passengers and drivers safer and urged a veto. Uber threatened to stop operating in Colorado if the rideshare safety legislation became law.
Uber used its app to send messages to its hundreds of thousands of riders in Colorado urging them to oppose the measure.
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The company’s threat to leave the state appeared to play into Polis’ decision.
“While I appreciate the sponsors’ intent to ensure the safety of riders and drivers, House Bill 1291 would impose unworkable regulations on (rideshare companies) and potentially jeopardize the continued operation in Colorado,” Polis wrote in a letter explaining his veto. “I want to make sure that Uber, Lyft, and others will be able to continue to operate in Colorado, but are far more accountable for the safety of riders and drivers.”
However, Polis wrote, House Bill 1291 went too far in its “unclear language on audio-video recording” and “inoperable timelines to produce new regulatory rules.”
One of the governor’s biggest concerns continued to be a requirement that rides be recorded if both the driver and passenger agreed to it.
“Drivers and riders are entitled to privacy, and while I appreciate the movement on this issue, the net effect of the remaining language in the bill still strongly suggests making recording mandatory,” Polis wrote, “which will put this law in direct conflict with other state privacy laws and make compliance a challenge. Moreover, the relevant data retention pieces remain challenging, without ensuring proper security protocols, and creates operational difficulties.”
Polis directed his administration to find other ways to enhance rideshare safety as part of his veto and challenged rideshare companies to do more to protect riders and drivers. He said he was directing the Department of Regulatory Agencies to potentially expand the Public Utilities Commission’s rideshare regulatory authority to focus on passenger safety and transparency, and conduct more audits.
Polis said he wanted the PUC to take a holistic approach to increase safety, which may require target legislation next session.
“The status quo isn’t sufficient,” the governor wrote.
Democratic state Rep. Jenny Willford of Northglenn spearheaded the rideshare safety effort this year after going public about being sexually assaulted by a Lyft driver in February 2024. Prosecutors this month charged the man accused in the assault, Mukhammadali Mukadyrov, with one felony count of unlawful sexual contact. Willford is also suing Lyft.
The rideshare safety measure passed the legislature with broad bipartisan support. On Friday, its four Democratic sponsors called Polis’ veto a disappointing move that sides with the profits of powerful tech corporations over the safety and dignity of Colorado sexual assault survivors. They dismissed many of his concerns as “red herrings and industry talking points,” and they faulted Polis for not coming to them earlier to negotiate a compromise.
“The veto is not just a political decision — it’s a message. Survivors, advocates, and lawmakers across the state worked tirelessly to bring transparency, accountability, and justice to an industry that has operated without meaningful guardrails for far too long. Those efforts were dismissed in one stroke, with an empty promise of future regulatory review. Coloradans deserve safety now,” said the letter from Willford, Rep. Meg Froelich and Sens. Jessie Danielson and Faith Winter.
They described it as a David and Goliath battle and said they will be back, “fighting until every rider and driver is safe.”
Polis’ veto wasn’t a surprise. He had publicly expressed concerns about the bill, including potential conflicts with federal and other state laws and his administration testified against it in committee.
Earlier this month, a group of sexual assault survivors sent Polis a letter advocating for him to sign the bill into law.
They noted that it had gone through significant revisions and compromises, and said the claim that the bill was antibusiness was a misconception.
“What we are asking for is simple: the industry that markets itself as a safe choice for a ride home should have to live up to its promises and enact basic safety measures with accountability when those measures fail,” states a letter from 10 women who were assaulted by John Pastor-Mendoza. In March, the former rideshare driver was convicted of 30 felony counts of kidnapping and sexual assault.
The survivors said their lives have been irrevocably altered and they stand firmly behind the original bill.
“We are not seeking revenge, nor are we trying to dismantle a multi-billion-dollar industry. What we want is simple: to ensure that what happened to us doesn’t happen to someone else.”
House Bill 1291 was one of two bills Polis vetoed Friday, bringing his total number of vetoes this year to seven.
The other bill Polis vetoed Friday was House Bill 1220, which would have required practicing dietitians and nutritionists to become licensed by Sept. 1, 2026 and set the requirements for licensure.
“I disagree with the need for regulation of this profession,” Polis wrote in a letter explaining his veto.
The rideshare bill is the second tech-regulation measure passed by the legislature this year that the governor has vetoed. The first had to do with social media sites, and the legislature nearly overrode the veto.
The governor is also expected to veto a tech bill that would limit the use of algorithmic rent-setting software.
His record number of vetoes in a single year is 10. That happened in 2023.
The governor has until June 6 to sign or veto bills passed during the legislative session this year. He can also let bills become law without his signature.
Rideshare driver wants Uber to require rider verification after being beaten, robbed of car
By Andrew Ramos
Updated on: March 5, 2025 / 5:15 PM CST / CBS Chicago
A grandmother from Chicago’s northern suburbs is recovering from a brutal attack while she was on the job for Uber.
Melissa, who asked to be identified only by her first name, said her passengers, four young men, violently attacked her before stealing her car. She said attack could have been avoided with a simple setting change in the Uber app.
It’s a setting she and many other rideshare drivers said puts them in danger, where they have no idea who is entering their car, because passengers don’t need to verify their identity.
In this case Melissa picked up the passengers in the early hours of Friday in Highland Park and headed to North Chicago.
It’s a ride she has done thousands of times, being on the job for Uber for nearly four years.
When it was time to drop off the four young men along Honore Avenue near Martin Luther King Drive, she said things took a terrifying turn when one of the men got out of the car and forced open her door, attempting to drag her out. The others then started attacking her.
“He scooted over and started beating me in the back of the head with the gun, and then the guy next to me was pounding in the face,” Melissa said.
The brutal attack ended when she was forced out and her attackers drove off in the Kia Wave – which was a rental.
Nearly a week later, the bruises to her face and head were still visible, and she said the trauma is resounding.
Melissa spoke to CBS News Chicago at the Park Ridge office of the Independent Drivers Guild – the union that represents rideshare drivers.
What she said is troubling about this attack is that it could have been prevented. While Uber allows passengers to see their driver’s photo before pickup, drivers cannot see their riders’ photos, which leads Melissa to believe that they targeted her because she was an older woman.
“If they know ahead of time, they can literally plan attacks. I think it would cut down on attacks significantly if people can’t target specific drivers based on appearance, gender, or make of car,” she said.
Kimberly Ziyavo, a labor organizer with the Independent Drivers Guild, said Uber drivers “literally don’t know who’s getting in our car,” because riders are not required to verify their identity.
“Sometimes there’s a picture of the person, but it might be a picture of a flower, or their dog, or anything,” Ziyavo said.
According to Uber, drivers can cancel a trip at any point if they feel unsafe. While riders are not required to verify their identity, riders who do go through Uber’s verification process have a “verified” badge that drivers can see, but a spokesperson did not answer directly about whether Uber would change its policy to require all riders get verified.
“No one should ever have to experience this kind of violence. We’ve been in touch with the driver to offer our support as they recover from this horrific attack. The rider was banned from the Uber platform as soon as we were made aware, and we’re working closely with law enforcement to support their investigation. Safety is at the heart of everything we do, and we remain committed to raising the bar through innovation,” an Uber spokesperson said.
North Chicago police confirmed that there is an active investigation into the attack, but would not comment further.
