Every bit Lyft driver Cynthia Norman steered a white Chevy through Cleveland'south streets on a cold night in January, the app pinged her to pick up a rider named "NBA." She pulled up to the curb in forepart of a two-story brick apartment complex where two men who looked to be in their 20s were waiting for her. One was wearing a gilt hoodie, the other was in a blackness hoodie; both had on face masks.

Courtesy of Cynthia Norman

Screenshot of NBA's ride
Norman provided a screenshot of her ride with NBA to The Markup.

Norman said she was out belatedly driving because her married man was sick in the hospital and she figured they could use the actress money. After greeting the men, Norman said the one in the blackness hoodie insisted on sitting in the front seat, despite it being against Lyft'south pandemic rules. That was the first red flag of the night, she said. Next, the Lyft app showed their destination every bit a short, four-minute ride away—the 2d ruddy flag. Norman said the tertiary red flag was when the ride ended at a shuttered sports arena.

"Is this where yous wanna get? Information technology's nighttime," Norman asked the men, according to a police report.

"Bowwow, this is a carjacking, get out," the human being in the passenger seat replied. Then he punched her in the face up.

Norman is just 1 of at to the lowest degree 124 ride-hail and delivery drivers who've been carjacked in the U.S. over the last twelvemonth and a half, co-ordinate to an analysis by The Markup. Through interviews with drivers and family members, police reports, and local news articles, The Markup constitute Uber and Lyft drivers from Boston to Nashville to Sioux Falls, Southward.D., who've been victims of carjackings or attempted carjackings. Their cars ended up crashed, in chop-shops, or used in other crimes. Police departments nationwide have reported an overall surge in carjackings during the pandemic, and these incidents announced to be happening to ride-hail drivers at an specially high rate.

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The Markup establish 124 carjackings of ride-hail drivers around the country

Sources: Commuter interviews, police reports, and news articles. Meet our documents here and our data hither.

Many of the drivers are elderly, immigrants, and women. 11 have died equally a issue of the assaults, dozens more accept been severely or permanently injured. Some of the carjackings are "wrong place at the wrong time" types of incidents, just 75 (more than than lx percent) of the attacks tracked by The Markup happened later on drivers were paired with their would-be assailants by Uber's or Lyft's algorithm. The Markup spoke with iii drivers who were victims of carjackings, and with friends and family members of two additional drivers. The apps matched all 5 of those drivers to option upwardly passengers who so went on to rob, crush, shoot, and in one instance, kill them.

Uber and Lyft consider drivers independent contractors, so they don't have sick exit, workers' compensation, or medical insurance through the companies. The drivers have little say in who they pick up or where they get, and they're urged by in-app bonuses and incentives to work long days, oftentimes into the night. They can face penalties if they reject rides. While the companies take on little take a chance employing drivers who provide their own cars and insurance and accumulate no benefits, in interviews drivers said they faced belongings loss, injury, and worse when they placed their lives in the hands of Uber's and Lyft's algorithms.

"Lyft and Uber drivers are much more vulnerable than other carjacking victims," said Eric Piza, an acquaintance professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. "If they practise this for a living, they take built in reasons to take every ride that comes their mode."

After carjackings, drivers say that when they contacted the companies for help, Uber and Lyft did little to nothing to assist with things like medical bills and property damage. And in many cases the incidents left them without their personal vehicles—which oftentimes tin can be their primary source of income. Many drivers accept started GoFundMe campaigns to go aid paying for hospital bills and car replacement or repairs. Families of killed drivers have done the same for funeral arrangements.

Lenny Sanchez, in a ball cap and orange T-shirt, leans his arm against the back windshield of a car.
Driver abet Lenny Sanchez of Chicago says many drivers are now conveying weapons to protect themselves. Akilah Townsend

"We continuously invest in new products and policies to help protect drivers, and are exploring means to aggrandize the use of our safety features to aid prevent these incidents from happening and support drivers if they practise," said Ashley Adams, a Lyft spokesperson. Jodi Kawada Page, an Uber spokesperson, said, "What's been reported is extremely concerning … nosotros've sent safety information to drivers and couriers and are working with police on their investigations into these horrible crimes."

Neither company responded to allegations that they failed to help the drivers nosotros spoke to after they were carjacked.

With mounting fearfulness in the gig worker community, some drivers have devised their own workarounds to try and stay condom. In Chicago, for case, scared drivers have refused to become to sure neighborhoods, which means residents in those areas are seeing high-toll surge pricing and drops in available rides. And in cities across the country, some drivers take bought dash cams, while others say they've started carrying weapons despite information technology existence forbidden by the companies.

"We're not allowed to have whatsoever kind of weapon—knives, brass duke, pepper spray, guns, baseball bats. But that's not what we're seeing now," said Lenny Sanchez, an Uber and Lyft driver in Chicago and co-founder of the Illinois chapter of driver advocacy group Independent Drivers Guild. "Information technology's like the Former W—information technology's wild."

Norman is one of those drivers who started conveying a weapon. On the night she picked upward NBA, she had a handgun stashed under the armrest of her center panel.

Later on the man in the rider seat punched her, Norman said, he ran effectually to the driver's side to try to pull her out of the machine. But she locked the door. At the same time, the man in the dorsum seat grabbed her by the neck and started choking her, yelling, "Go your ass out of the car," according to the police report. But Norman stayed where she was. After getting striking repeatedly, Norman was finally able to lift the armrest and get her gun.

"I merely started shooting," she said.

As the two men ran off, Norman said she sat there trying to catch her breath and wrap her mind around what had but occurred. She realized it all happened so fast that she nonetheless had on her seat chugalug.

Five days afterward the ordeal, nineteen News reported a female person Uber driver in Cleveland was attacked in a most identical incident that had the same crimson flags Norman noted. Two weeks later, it happened again to another Cleveland woman who collection for Lyft. In both cases, the women were reportedly beaten and the carjackers were able to make off with their cars, cellphones, and wallets. The suspects in these cases have yet to be establish. Nor have suspects been identified in Norman's case.

In nearby Columbus, a 73-yr-former Lyft driver was attacked in the same way on April 11. She was left battered and bruised, and her 2015 silvery Chevy was stolen. Co-ordinate to a police study from the Columbus Division of Police, "The victim pleaded with the suspects asking them why…why…why? The primary suspect responded, 'Y'all're the chosen i for the day.' "

Every bit with Norman, Lyft's and Uber'southward algorithms paired all three women with their assailants. Neither company responded to requests for comments on these cases.

Commuter advocates say Uber and Lyft have not taken uncomplicated steps that could have prevented some of the incidents. The companies' apps brand it fairly uncomplicated for people to create fake accounts with faux names and, often, use untraceable payment methods, like a gift card.

Bryant Greening, an attorney and co-founder of Chicago-based LegalRideshare, said he gets calls from drivers who've been carjacked on a weekly footing. He said Uber'due south and Lyft'south apps are fix in a style that tin can assist potential carjackers.

"By assuasive people to use fake names and not upload pictures of themselves, they give criminals a level of anonymity that makes them feel comfortable committing the criminal offence," he said.

Drivers have long complained about what they telephone call "phantom profiles," which are riders, similar NBA, who don't utilise their real names or contour pictures. Reddit threads are filled with drivers swapping stories about allonym passenger names like "The man," "nighttime vader," and "KINK86." A Chicago ride-hail driver started a petition calling on Uber and Lyft to ban fake names because of safety issues; it now has more than 1,800 signatures.

"You lot wouldn't believe how many fake names we see well-nigh everyday," the petition reads. "Suppose you have this rider asking and [the] proper name is 'meow meow' or 'daddy' or number '8.' "

You do background checks on us. Did you practice background checks on NBA?

Former Lyft driver Cynthia Norman

To get on the platform, riders simply need an email address and phone number—both of which tin can exist spoofed through false email accounts, free SMS services, and burner phones. For drivers it's a different story. They must use a government issued ID, become through background checks, and have their name and a photo of themselves in the app.

"They shouldn't exist able to put 'Pleasure P,' they should put their government proper name, plain and uncomplicated," Norman said. "You do background checks on u.s.. Did you lot exercise background checks on NBA?"

Both Uber and Lyft have prepaid cards and gift cards bachelor for riders who don't want to use credit or debit cards. When those untraceable payment methods are linked to accounts with fake names and email addresses, it makes information technology easy for passengers to exist completely anonymous. In Apr, Uber announced that new accounts using a prepaid bill of fare, gift card, or Venmo would likewise demand to upload a valid ID. "These additional verification requirements can deed equally a deterrent to those who are trying to use the app to cause harm," Uber said in a blog post.

While the company still allows for allonym names, Uber spokesperson Page said information technology no longer lets riders set upwardly new accounts or modify their names using numbers, emojis, or symbols. She added that the company has assisted law enforcement in several carjacking arrests, including two incidents in Chicago. Uber likewise donated $25,000 to a Crimestoppers fund in Chicago to combat carjackings there. During police investigations, both Uber and Lyft require authorities to submit subpoenas, court orders, search warrants, or emergency disclosure requests for whatever information on alleged assailants.

In June, Lyft followed Uber's lead and too stopped allowing new passenger accounts to apply untraceable payment methods without additional identification. But that policy is only currently active in Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. Neither Lyft nor Uber responded to questions most whether passengers who already have accounts with anonymous payment methods have to retroactively upload an ID.

Advocates say the companies could do more to continue drivers safety, including banning prepaid cards, requiring all riders to use a valid ID, and having passengers upload selfies earlier rides.

Lyft didn't annotate on why passengers don't take to upload profile pictures and are allowed to use alias names and anonymous payment methods. Uber'southward Page said it's optional for riders to upload profile photos, and that for payment methods, "non anybody has access to a bank account or a credit card." Neither company responded to requests for annotate on why they don't require valid IDs.

"When you remove the ability for potential offenders to remain anonymous, that will often have a crime reduction effect," said Piza, the John Jay professor. "Not many people would practice a sure law-breaking if they have to reveal their identity."

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Flurry of Incidents

Lyft driver Elijah Newman had merely moved to St. Louis when he was attacked in an attempted carjacking in Apr. He was originally from Ghana merely had been living in the U.Due south. since 2011. He had 1 child in New Jersey and four in Ghana, whom he was working on bringing to the U.S.

Elijah Newman poses for a selfie.
Elijah Newman, who was killed in an attempted carjacking in April. Courtesy of Elizabeth Hylton

"When he moved here, he was only making a new beginning," said Elizabeth Hylton, his roommate and long-time friend, who created a GoFundMe for Newman'south children. "Elijah, existence the person he was, he was not going to requite up his auto."

When police arrived at the scene of the incident on Apr 15, Newman was already dead in the commuter's seat of his car with a gunshot wound to his torso, according to charging documents from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police force Department. A probable cause argument obtained by The Markup said a Lyft light was affixed to the front dash and a bullet casing was next to Newman'south body. The alleged assailant had used a fake proper noun to hail the ride, according to the argument.

Photo of Elijah Newman on a couch surrounded by four of his children in Ghana
Newman with his four children who live in Ghana. From left to right: Bethal, Abigail, Elijah, Ishmael, and Joseph. Courtesy of Elizabeth Hylton

When constabulary knocked on Hylton's door late that dark, she said she asked them if she needed to go go Newman from the infirmary. "They were like, 'No he'due south gone, and nosotros need you to go verify the body,' " she said. "Information technology was similar a fist to the gut."

The alleged assailant, who admitted to being at the scene of the shooting, was apprehended by St. Louis police force a couple of days afterwards and charged with commencement caste murder. That example is ongoing.

Newman is one of several ride-hail drivers killed in apparent botched carjackings over the last few months. Others include Uber drivers Javier Ramos and Joe Schelstraete, both of whom were fatally shot in the Chicago expanse in March and June, respectively; Uber driver Joshua Miller, who was killed in Dallas in Jan; Timothy Perkins, who also drove for Uber and was fatally stabbed in Detroit in January; and Lyft commuter Kristopher Roukey, who was fatally shot in Akron, Ohio, in May. All of these drivers were matched to their attackers by Uber or Lyft'southward algorithms.

"He was lured in through the app," Sanchez, the Chicago driver organizer, said about Schelstraete. "It just crushes me."

Page, the Uber spokesperson, said, "Regarding the drivers yous referred to that lost their lives, we've reached out to all of their families to offer our condolences and support."

Adams of Lyft said, "We are heartbroken by these tragic incidents and take attempted to attain out to these drivers' families to offer our support. We deactivated the accounts of the riders involved in these incidents the same 24-hour interval they were reported to us."

Dozens of incidents that don't involve Uber's or Lyft's algorithm have also happened over the last yr. Those normally involve people taking advantage of ride-hail drivers who are waiting for a ride or just finishing dropping off passengers. Mohammad Anwar, a Pakistani immigrant and Uber Eats commuter was killed in Washington, D.C., in March, after 2 girls with an electric stun gun approached him while he was parked and then allegedly tried to carjack him.

"Gig workers' guards are down in a way that normal drivers wouldn't be considering they have strangers getting in and out of their cars," said Greening, the lawyer. "The nature of gig work requires that drivers accept an unlocked vehicle and be stopped on the side of the route … which makes them sitting ducks for a criminal who'southward looking to commit this blazon of law-breaking."

In many ways, gig workers are the perfect target.

Bryant Greening, LegalRideshare

"In many ways, gig workers are the perfect targets," he added.

Local news articles tell bunko stories of passengers request drivers to put something in the trunk only to have the riders take off with the car. One commuter in Washington, D.C., was parked on the side of the road and livestreaming on Facebook when carjackers busted in and stole his vehicle. Other incidents involve Uber Eats or DoorDash delivery drivers dropping off food, only to notice their car gone when they return. In at to the lowest degree two of these episodes, the drivers' children were in the vehicle.

At the time of one of these incidents in San Francisco, DoorDash CEO Tony Xu said in a statement that he was "appalled" and "relieved that the children are safe." Xu said the visitor was in contact with the driver and had worked with police enforcement. Campbell Matthews, a DoorDash spokesperson, told The Markup in an email, "We regularly transport communications on safety tips and all-time practices" to workers and the company plans to add an emergency help push button to its app "later this yr."

While The Markup has tracked more than than 100 carjackings of ride-hail drivers over the past year and a one-half, including three this month in Atlanta, Cleveland, and Key West, this number is far from comprehensive. Non all carjackings are covered by the local news, and well-nigh police departments don't compile stats on carjackings that happen specifically to ride-hail drivers. Non all drivers study the incidents either.

Uber and Lyft didn't respond to requests to provide data on the number of carjackings involving their drivers.

Sanchez said the Contained Drivers Society regularly canvasses gig workers at O'Hare airdrome and encounters about a dozen drivers per week who say they've experienced a carjacking or attempted carjacking. Chicago has some of the highest numbers of carjackings nationwide, along with the near known incidents of gig worker carjackings. The Markup tracked at least 44 carjackings of ride-hail drivers inside the metropolis'southward metro expanse. For comparing, other metro areas with a high number of gig worker carjackings that we've been able to confirm are Atlanta with nine and Cleveland with 12.

"Some [drivers] got in the media, some didn't. Some of them have bullet holes in their cars, some don't," Sanchez said. "These companies take claret on their hands."

Lyft and Uber didn't answer to a request for comment on Sanchez'south remark.

Later being carjacked, ride-hail drivers' lives can be turned upside downward as they try to heal from injuries and recover their cars. Last September, Tommy Cross was driving for Lyft when he was attacked by three passengers in Oklahoma City. The nighttime began with him agreeing to sub in for his exhausted married woman, who too collection for Lyft and was trying to become in a few more than rides by a v a.1000. deadline to earn a Lyft bonus. It ended with him in critical status suffering from vi bullet wounds.

Photo of masked Sheryl Cross leaning over Tommy in hospital bed
Tommy and Sheryl Cross in the hospital after Tommy was shot six times during a carjacking. Courtesy of Sheryl Cross

"When he was picking them upwards, he said, 'This isn't good,' " said Sheryl Cross, Tommy's wife, who was on the telephone with him at the time. "He said he felt something right off the bat."

The specific details of what happened next aren't fully articulate, considering Tommy said he went in and out of consciousness. According to an incident written report from the Oklahoma Metropolis Police Section, police responded to a call reporting him lying in the centre of the road bleeding. He had visible gunshot wounds to his right arm, shoulder, and face up. His car was found crashed into a nearby garage with the airbags deployed.

Tommy spent more than a week in the hospital and underwent six surgeries, including the reconstruction of his right shoulder and side of his face. He lost several teeth and some of his natural language, making it difficult for him to speak. His right arm is permanently paralyzed.

"He can't even tie his shoes," Sheryl said, verging on tears. "I lost my machine, my married man, money, everything we had, for a ride for six dollars and something cents."

The 24-hour interval later the attack, Sheryl said someone from Lyft called and she yelled at them saying she needed help. That was the concluding contact she had with anyone from the company, she said. The Crosses' car was totaled, and even though they had insurance, it didn't cover the incident because information technology happened during a Lyft ride. Sheryl said she had no thought they needed divide insurance for that. "It didn't even cover towing; they billed me for that too," she said.

Lyft didn't respond to requests for comment on Tommy's carjacking and the company'south lack of help after the attack. Geico, the Crosses' insurance provider, didn't answer to a request for comment.

Two people were apprehended and pleaded guilty last month to charges of armed robbery and the shooting of Tommy. It'southward now been nearly x months since the incident, and the Crosses still don't accept a car or any type of income. Sheryl said she'd never exist a ride-hail driver again but would similar to do nutrient deliveries; she fix a PayPal Puddle fundraiser to try and go aid to buy a new automobile. "I just desire to have a vehicle," she said, "so we can make some coin and work."

Some other Lyft commuter, who was carjacked in Chicago in January and wants to remain anonymous for fright of retaliation by his assailants, had a like experience trying to recoup the costs of his vehicle and belongings. The Markup was able to verify his account through a police news release on the incident.

He was attacked by two passengers, ane of whom put a gun to his head before the ride started and demanded he leave the car. When the driver tried to take his haversack with him, the passenger pistol-whipped him. The 2 passengers and then took off with his machine, which has not been recovered. No one has been charged in his case.

The commuter's insurance visitor said that considering he was driving for Lyft, his insurance doesn't cover anything—not his vehicle, cellphone, other items he had in his motorcar, similar expensive loftier-speed telephone chargers, or loss of wages. He had separate insurance through Lyft, but information technology wouldn't comprehend anything only the loss of his car, and with that he was still on the claw for a $2,500 deductible.

The commuter's insurance provider didn't respond to a asking for comment. Lyft's Adams didn't comment specifically on this instance but said individual claims are reviewed on a instance-by-case ground.

"I take to cover my [auto] loan. I don't know how to pay my bills. Even buying food correct now for me is challenging," the driver said. "I don't know what to practice next. Information technology'due south a really really tough situation for me. And Lyft has a lot of holes in the system."

"Correct now, I'grand cleaved."

Later on beingness attacked at the shuttered sports arena in Cleveland, Norman said she headed direct to the police station. She reported what happened, and then the constabulary chosen an ambulance to take her to the emergency room, where she was treated for cuts, bruises, and an eye injury, which resulted in lasting vision loss. Despite her quick reaction that night, the incident rattled her.

"I simply can't trust no one, period," Norman said.

Other drivers who spoke with The Markup recounted like feelings. David Morrow has been an Uber commuter in Atlanta for more three years and has given more iv,700 trips. But after he was carjacked in February by 2 men with an attack rifle who stole his 2021 silver Honda Accord, according to an incident study from the Atlanta Police Section, he said he inverse his habits.

"I just work the airport," Morrow said. "People coming in on these flights, they're not in the business of robbing. They only desire to go to their destination."

He's also using a rental motorcar through Uber, even though it costs around $300 a week. Morrow'due south Honda was recovered but had about $ten,000 in harm, and he had to pay the $one,000 insurance deductible. "With this rental machine if anything happens, the $ane,000 is taken intendance of," Morrow said. No i has been charged in his carjacking. Uber didn't respond to a request for comment on his case.

Sanchez, the Chicago driver organizer, said he's also seeing drivers work just at the airport at present. More gig workers told him they've started to carry weapons. And he even came across ane driver wearing a bulletproof vest—information technology'south the just mode he feels safe working at present, the commuter told Sanchez. Sanchez himself quit driving for Uber and Lyft during the pandemic and hasn't withal returned.

"If it wasn't for this carjacking crisis I would definitely be out on the road," Sanchez said. But "I don't want to die driving."

Sanchez said it's crucial that Uber and Lyft exercise whatever information technology takes to deter criminals from using the apps. To him, a mandatory selfie characteristic for passengers would be a good first. He said the photos don't have to exist shared with drivers, but rather the companies could temporarily keep them in their databases in case anything happens during a ride.

Some police departments, like Chicago and Oakland, accept issued warnings most carjackings of ride-hail drivers. Advocates say Uber and Lyft could also put those warnings in the apps. Nuance cams would additionally be a skillful deterrent, advocates say. LegalRideshare, the house Greening co-founded, has donated $10,000 to buy dash cams for Chicago-based drivers.

Lyft didn't respond to a request for annotate about providing drivers with dash cams. Uber'due south Page said drivers are costless to install their ain cameras, and so long equally they comply with local law.

"It seems like a couple steps could exist taken that would solve a lot of problems," Greening said. "Nosotros would like to run into these billion-dollar companies come up with solutions, rather than leave it to drivers and small businesses, like myself, to proceed everyone rubber. They're the innovators."

Norman said Lyft dealt her i final blow after her experience with NBA. The day afterwards the carjacking, a company representative named "Bob" called to say Lyft was investigating her account for a "potential violation" of its community guidelines and terms of service. She'd been driving with a gun. She'd worked for Lyft for almost two and a half years, gave 1,636 rides, and had the highest commuter rating possible—v stars. She had a license for the gun, according to the constabulary report on the incident.

"The safe of the Lyft community is our highest priority and we take decisions of this nature extremely seriously," Bob wrote to Norman in a follow-up email, which was provided to The Markup.

Ii days subsequently, when Norman looked at her Lyft app, it was overlaid with a message that said, "Your business relationship has been permanently deactivated…. This decision has been reviewed and will remain final." It appears she was also kicked off the rider app later on getting a message at that place that said, "Your account has been disabled."

Equally for NBA, Lyft spokesperson Adams said it let Norman know that "we had taken action," but Norman said she never heard from Lyft again about whether he'd been deactivated. The company likewise didn't offer her any financial help for hospital fees, eye doctor visits, or other costs that resulted from existence paired with NBA on the app.

Despite everything, Norman said that when she talked to Bob, she told him she had no regrets about carrying the gun.

"If I tin't have a firearm," she said, "I guess you gonna pay for my funeral."

Update

This article has been updated to include a response from Uber that came in after press time.