Calgary woman warns others after Uber driver makes sexual advances, deviates from route

A woman who says an Uber driver made several sexual advances and at one point deviated from her route home is warning others to be vigilant.

A Calgary woman is urging other women to stay vigilant when using ride-share services after a disturbing Uber ride left her feeling unsafe.

Ekaya Dos Santos, 23, was picked up from a nightclub by an Uber driver around 2 a.m. on July 19 but quickly became uncomfortable when the man started making unwanted sexual advances to her, insisted on buying her alcohol and, at one point, deviated from her route home.

“I just keep thinking, what if I was more intoxicated that night, like I couldn’t sit up straight or wasn’t fully there?” she said. “What would have happened if I was a kid and didn’t fully know what to do? It was a very scary situation.”

• Sign up for breaking news alerts from CTV News, right at your fingertips
• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

Uber has since banned the driver and the City of Calgary has revoked his ride-sharing license to operate in the region, but Dos Santos wants more women to be aware of the risks of riding alone.

Late night ride takes a disturbing turn

Dos Santos told CTV News the drive began normal enough with the driver, who had a five-star review, asking her about her night.

However, she started to feel uncomfortable when he suggested she return to the club with him the next day.

He also offered to pull over several times so she could sit up front with him, which she politely declined.

She said the man began to make sexual advances, which made her extremely uncomfortable, so started to record the conversation on her phone.

In the video, the driver can be heard making a sexually explicit remark to Dos Santos, asking if she had engaged in sexual activity that night.

“Did you f*** tonight?” he is heard saying in the video. “I haven’t f***cked for quite some time now.”

She said she tried to remain polite and friendly during the ride, hoping to brush off his comments without escalating the situation — especially since she was alone in his car.

“Just tried to play it really relaxed I suppose.”

‘Never thought I’d have to say please’

She said she was also visibly intoxicated and the man kept insisting on buying her alcohol or going to drink together to have sex, which she continued to decline.

Dos Santos said she became worried for her safety when the driver deviated from the route on the app, starting to drive away from her home.

“I immediately felt my heart drop to my stomach and asked, ‘where are we going?’” and he said, ‘the liquor store.’ I was like, ‘I really just want to go home please,’ and I never thought I’d have to say please. It was just a really weird thing.”

Dos Santos said he began to drive her back home but was still concerned what the man might do after dropping her off.

There was no further issues during the rest of the drive, but she was still concerned.

“I got home, I was safe, but I just felt creeped out but I was like, is he going to come back to my home tomorrow? Like, he knows where I live,” she said.

Driver banned from app; license revoked from city

Dos Santos reported the encounter with Uber immediately after she was dropped off at home.

The driver had been with the company since 2014 and had no previous complaints.

The company said it investigated and has since removed the driver from the platform.

“This behaviour is unacceptable and has no place on the Uber platform,” the company said in a statement.

“We take reports of this nature very seriously, and have banned the driver’s access to the app. We stand ready to assist law enforcement in any way we can.”

The Calgary Police Service confirmed it investigated the situation but determined nothing criminal occurred.

However, the driver’s ride-share license was revoked by the City of Calgary, which regulates the transportation network companies (TNCs) within the city.

“We’ve been working closely with the Calgary Police Service and the TNC involved and can say the driver is no longer operating or licensed within the city,” said Cory Porter, the deputy chief of vehicle for hire, public vehicle standards, emergency management and community safety.

He said anyone with safety concerns during a ride share can contact 311. If any rider feels they are in danger, Porter says they should call 911.

“If something seems strange, terminate that trip immediately. You can share your trip details with family, friends, or loved ones so they can be aware that the driver deviated from the route. Once that trip is complete and you’re in a safe place, please reach out and we’ll investigate,” he said.

Uber safety features

Uber said it has several safety features in place to try and keep riders and drivers safe, including background checks and screenings that drivers must pass every year.

The company said it also partnered with Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network to roll out a sexual assault and misconduct informational module to all its drivers in Canada.

It is also testing a ‘women preferences’ feature for riders in some areas in the United States that allows female riders to request a female driver, however there are no plans to share the option in Canada at this point.

Dos Santos would like to see the option in Canada.

“Not only does it demonstrate poor actions from a man, but it also demonstrates the ride share itself needs more protection for its drivers, and it encourages people to pay more attention to safety features. At least that’s what it did for me, I learnt the hard way.”

There is an emergency button on the Uber app where users can call or text 911 and share the real-time location and trip information with an operator whenever they are concerned.

There is also a feature that allows riders and drivers to record audio during a trip.