Two Different Queensland Uber Drivers Were Charged With Rape This Week

Over the past week, two different Queensland-based Uber drivers have been charged with raping their passengers—and police believe further victims are yet to come forward.

A 37-year-old driver from the Brisbane suburb of Apsley was charged with rape of a 16-year-old woman passenger at the Brisbane Magistrates Court this morning. It is alleged the man raped his teenage passenger in the early evening of July 7. This incident is unrelated to three rape charges laid against a different 47-year-old Uber driver from Brisbane, who faced court last Friday.

Following the latter incident, Queensland Police Acting Inspector David Farley said that the victim had come forward to the police with her story, and he believed her alleged rapist may have assaulted other victims over his past two years of Uber driving.

"The person has been arrested for one victim but we do have other very strong leads," he said. "We do believe we will have more than one victim." He encouraged other victims to approach police. "Through embarrassment, through feeling shameful, or just feeling like not wanting to remember it—we'd encourage to just come forward," he said. "If it's your sister, your cousin, or your daughter or your friend, please encourage them to come forward." When the charges were laid last week, a spokesperson for Uber said there was "no place for the type of behaviour described" and that the driver's access to the Uber app had been blocked. All Uber drivers are subject to a criminal history check.

When Uber arrived in Australia, it was immediately popular. Not just because the ride-sharing service is cheaper and more convenient than taxis, but also because its app-tracked service is ostensibly far safer—for solo women customers in particular. Yet it hasn't been immune to incidences of rape and assault. In June, a Sydney-based Uber driver was sentenced to a minimum six years and four months in jail for raping a woman customer after picking her up outside a King's Cross nightclub. He will serve a minimum of six years and four months in jail, becoming eligible for parole in 2023.

Without directly referring to sexual assault, the Uber Australia website offers customers assurances that their safety is a priority. It also provides advice to customers about keeping themselves safe while riding, including sitting in the backseat, sharing trip details with a friend (it's easy to do this within the Uber app), and giving feedback after the trip via a helpline that is monitored 24/7.

Queensland Police urge victims or other citizens with information about Uber assaults to call Crimestoppers.

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