A Lafayette Uber driver shares a horrific experience. Margaret Bordelon, 45, can’t get the awful visuals out of her head. The memories from an Uber ride she gave last September continue to haunt her. That night a drunk man tried to pull her in for a kiss at the end of his Uber ride. She said she can still feel his hands on her. After some time, she was finally able to get him to let her go.  Unfortunately, she didn’t have his name because he booked the ride through a friend’s account.

Uber Releases Results Of Internal Sexual Harassment Investigation
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At the time, Bordelon was a new Uber driver and had only been driving for a few months.  Bordelon says she called Uber that night to report the incident. When she did, the person with Uber told her they would not pair her with that account holder anymore.  After she let them know that he used a friend’s account to book the ride, she then asked what they were going to do to protect her and prevent this from happening to other women in the future.  She said she received no response to that question.

Bordelon said since then, the only other response she has received from Uber was a written letter the next day letting her know that any behavior involving violence, sexual misconduct, or illegal activity can result in the customer immediately losing access to the app.

I asked her if she was still an Uber driver. Believe it or not, she said she did not quit and she is still an Uber driver. When I asked her why she didn’t quit, this was her response:

  1. It’s my only source of income at the moment.
  2. He was here on a work visa. He wasn’t even from here and barely spoke English.
  3. I love Lafayette and the people in this community.
  4. Why should an isolated incident keep me from doing what I love to do?
  5. I'm not a victim. I'm not going to allow him to have power over me. This experience doesn't define who I am. It's merely something that happened to me.

 

Facebook, Margaret Bordelon
Facebook, Margaret Bordelon
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Bordelon’s concern, along with other female drivers is their safety. Bordelon said Uber never told her what steps, if any, they took after she reported the sexual harassment.

 

I just want people to be kind to each other. Being kind takes effort but it’s worth it in the long run. Everyone has a bad day and sometimes all you need is a little kindness. Margaret Bordelon

 

 

 

 

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