Drinking and Uber Driving: Passenger Drives Own Cab Home Because Driver Is Too Drunk

An Uber passenger in India was forced to take the wheel earlier this month when his driver arrived to collect him from the airport three sheets to the wind.

According to posts on his Twitter account, Surya Oruganti had to drive himself home after his inebriated chauffeur was unable to keep his eyes open, Yahoo7 News reported.

Oruganti was picked up at Kempegowda International Airport in Bangalore, but said the ride home "was not quite what I expected." Posting on Twitter on September 9, the traveler said he had to push the driver into the passenger seat and drive the 20-mile homeward journey himself.

"The driver was drunk and drowsy. I had to pull the car over to the side and I drove all the way home." He also said the man behind the wheel did not match the profile displayed on that app, raising more questions about who he was and why he was driving an Uber vehicle, let alone why he was so drunk while doing so.

Tagging the company in his tweet, Oruganti demanded they "fix this" and described the failure as a "serious safety issue."

Indian news site The News Minute received a statement from Uber, which said the drunk driver—or whoever he was standing in for—had been removed from the company's database of workers. A spokesperson went on to describe the bizarre journey as a "regrettable and concerning incident."

"While we take all possible measures to ensure that drivers behind the wheel match the person shown on the app, in rare instances, when this doesn't happen, we encourage riders to cancel their rides immediately and report the issue on the app," the statement continued. "Upon learning about this incident, the driver profile was removed from the app and we are looking into the matter."

Uber did not immediately respond to a Newsweek request for comment.

Though the ride-sharing service has become incredibly popular worldwide and arguably transformed personal transport, the professionalism of some drivers has concerned regulators and customers.

Sexual assault by drivers is a particularly troubling issue. According to a recent CNN investigation, at least 103 Uber drivers in the U.S. have faced accusations of sexual assault or abuse against passengers in the past four years.

Inadequate background checks on drivers were a sticking point for regulators in London, where Uber faced having its license revoked if it did not bring its processes up to standard. Though authorities have granted the ride-sharing giant a new short-term license to operate in the city, it must show continued efforts to adhere to regulations or face losing it once more, the BBC reported.