UberX is great in that virtually anyone with a car can sign up to be a driver and earn a few bucks on the side. It’s become a popular source of income for everyone from college students to soccer moms. The only problem is that virtually anyone can be an UberX driver. Sure, they run background checks, but there’s really no way of knowing whether or not the person picking you up is a complete psychopath.
Case in point, an UberX driver was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly attempting to break into a Denver woman’s home after driving her to the airport. According to TIME, 51-year-old Gerald Montgomery was arrested shortly after trying to gain entrance to the woman’s home through the backdoor, but was scared off by her roommate.
“Upon learning about this incident from our valued rider, we immediately deactivated the driver’s access to the platform, pending a full investigation. We remain committed to supporting Denver law enforcement in any way we can,” Uber spokesman Taylor Patterson says in a statement to TIME.
Uber performs a three-step screening process that includes a county, federal and multi-state background check. However, according to the Denver Post, Montgomery had no criminal history in Colorado. Uber says they work closely with the police department to facilitate the arrest of individuals accused of crimes.
True story, last time I was catching a flight I took UberX to the airport, and after I set the pickup location a nagging part of me thought, is this a good idea? To basically let a complete stranger know where I live and that I won’t be home for a week? But then it ended up only costing $16, like $4 cheaper than my local airport shuttle — which also usually makes like 4-5 stops after they pick me up — and my apprehensions were quickly dissipated.
So yes, it’s possible that you might get an UberX driver who has not the best intentions. But on the plus side? It’s really, really cheap. The risks are yours to weigh.