Reporters descended on Philadelphia this week to report on the Democratic National Convention and Hillary Clinton, the party’s historic nominee. But for one journalist, the drama didn’t end after she left the Wells Fargo Arena.
Olivia Nuzzi, a reporter for The Daily Beast, decided to take an Uber (UBER) from Philadelphia to her home in Washington, D.C. The trip began uneventfully, but at a rest stop in Maryland, the driver began harassing her. Nuzzi detailed the incident on Twitter:
So I decided to take an @Uber back to DC from Philly because I didn't want to take the train. Driver was an older man, seemed nice enough.
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) July 29, 2016
Somewhere in Maryland I asked if we could stop at a rest stop. We both got out and I got him a water.
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) July 29, 2016
When he came back I was standing by the car. I handed him the water and he proceeded to ask me if I'm aware that I'm "a fine white girl."
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) July 29, 2016
I said "excuse me?" hoping I had misheard him. He then repeated that I am "a fine looking woman."
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) July 29, 2016
So my option here is A. Get back in a car alone with a man who is now making me extremely uncomfortable for over an hourlong drive.
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) July 29, 2016
Or B. Chill out alone at a rest stop and figure out how to get home. I chose B.
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) July 29, 2016
After this blow-by-blow account of her traumatic experience, Nuzzi, who has 49,000 followers on Twitter, turned her attention to the ride sharing company itself:
I understand @Uber can't ensure all their drivers understand that saying shit like that to women is tremendously uncool, I do.
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) July 29, 2016
But this page isn't helping me right now. pic.twitter.com/L83SApl65K
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) July 29, 2016
Naturally the @uber support phone number doesn't have an option to talk to an operator in a situation like this, either.
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) July 29, 2016
Anyway another very cool day being a woman in the world!
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) July 29, 2016
Uber finally responded to Nuzzi’s complaint, leading to a testy exchange:
That's not ok, Olivia. Our team is looking into this right now and will be reaching out to you very soon.
— Uber Support (@Uber_Support) July 29, 2016
https://twitter.com/Olivianuzzi/status/759101296347607040
Uber called me and ordered me another car/said they'd track the trip to make sure I get back ok. Which is good/probably all they could do.
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) July 29, 2016
But I wonder if I had fewer followers on here or hadn't made a big thing of it, would they be that diligent?
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) July 29, 2016
A representative for Uber told the Observer that the driver’s access to the platform had been suspended and the company was looking into the incident.
The Observer has extensively reported on Uber drivers who have groped and harassed passengers who presumably did not have big Twitter followings. Many of these incidents have also turned violent—drivers have been charged with sexual assault, rape and attempted murder.
There’s also been a lot of scrutiny of Uber’s background check policy, such as it is—the company does not require drivers to be fingerprinted, which has led to the hiring of convicted sex offenders.
Nuzzi did not respond to an Observer request for comment.