Certain situations are difficult to navigate, not because there’s something obviously wrong with them, but because of how bizarre they feel. There are some truly strange people out there, and if you use ride-sharing services often, you’ve likely come across a few of them.
The same can be said about TikTok star Justin Silva, who shared footage of an uncomfortable Uber ride with his followers on April 21. The video starts with the voice of a woman saying “I’m your driver, I promise” — which is a splendid way to make someone doubt your word. No one was questioning it before, but now we have to. When Silva confesses that the driver scared him a bit, she proceeds to showcase her trustworthiness by telling him she’s had 15,000 trips. It’s true, she keeps a list.
Out of the blue, the driver then announces the distance from their current location to her home, leaving her passenger unsettled by the quick change in topics. Although he attempted to play it cool at the start of the ride, Silva’s face betrays his thoughts, which at that moment probably went something like: “Is she planning on driving there right now?” In his defense, we’ve all heard enough Uber horror stories for our minds to go there immediately.
The TikToker later posted a second video, where the driver affirms she wishes to “park this car and go have fun” with her passengers. That would be a little unprofessional, yes, but not really suspicious. She probably just enjoys a bit of fun, right? Nope. It turns out she doesn’t.
These two videos went viral on TikTok, and folks who have come across them couldn’t help but comment on how strange but funny this situation is. “Listen to her slurred speech and how she’s jumping topics. She doesn’t sound sober at all”, one person wrote, while another offered a different explanation: “She sounds like maybe she’s on the spectrum or has a disability.” Meanwhile, some users preferred to focus on Silva’s reactions: “Your facial expressions are so relatable.” I’m inclined to agree.
Whatever may be behind this driver’s behavior, it’s understandable for some people to be on high alert when using ride-sharing services. Per USA Today, in 2022 there were 550 reports of sexual assault and other attacks in Uber vehicles, but also it’s worth pointing out that 99.9 percent of all Uber rides end without incident, according to Uber’s 2019-2020 U.S. Safety Report.
This all goes to show that while there may be some truly terrible Uber stories out there, these are in the minority. It’s always good to be careful but let’s not generate mass panic. Besides, drivers have to deal with their fair share of inappropriate passengers, too.
