Chicago

‘Traumatic' Ride: Man Films Chicago Uber Driver Getting Intimate With Woman During Trip

“It was insane,” Aner Martino said of the ride

A Boston man visiting Chicago said he endured one of the "most dangerous and inappropriate" Uber rides he’s ever had while in the city last week. 

"It was insane," Aner Martino said of the ride. 

Martino had called for an Uber after a night out in the city on July 16 but when his ride approached, he noticed a passenger in the front seat of the vehicle. 

"I thought it was a little weird, but at this point I just assumed it was either a family member or someone he knew, and I needed to get back," Martino said.

Once in the vehicle, Martino noticed his driver was using his phone while driving — but that was only the beginning of what would happen during the trip. 

At that point, Martino started recording what was unfolding in front of him. 

The video shows the Uber driver kissing and being intimate with the woman in the front seat. 

"She started getting a little bit more touchy and groping him a little bit more," Martino said. "At this point I was weirded out, and I didn’t know how to react. If it had happened to me in my hometown I would have got out immediately, but in that moment I just didn’t know what to do."

Not knowing where he was, Martino said he stayed in the car.

Video ultimately showed the woman lowering her head onto the driver’s lap. 

"I told him to leave me right there," Martino said, noting that he was close enough to his destination to find his way. "It was pretty crazy. Traumatic."

Uber said it was notified of the alleged incident via its two-way app feedback and "immediately took action."

The driver’s access was removed from the app amid an investigation into what happened, a spokeswoman confirmed in a statement.

"The behavior of this former driver is appalling and is not tolerated on the Uber app," the statement read. "As soon as this situation was reported to us, we immediately removed this driver's access."

The company’s guidelines say drivers must not text while driving and always use a phone mount. Drivers and passengers are asked not to touch or flirt with other people in the car. Uber also states it has a "no sex rule," meaning "no sexual conduct between drivers and riders, no matter what."

Drivers who violate those rules could lose access to Uber.

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