Rideshare Driers Keep Getting Murdered, It is Time for Change

Uber and Lyft drivers keep getting killed while simply doing their jobs, they are marked as easy to rob targets by the companies that contract them because these companies do not allow drivers to carry firearms while on the job. Drivers that do carry firearms and get caught when they are forced to defend themselves are fired for choosing to protect themselves. 

Recently a man, who is now believed to have been inspired by recent ongoings in Afghanistan, killed his Lyft driver before shooting up a police station. The young woman who was simply trying to provide for herself by accepting rides on the ride-sharing app was slaughtered. It is entirely possible that the young woman, Isabell Lewis, would not have carried a firearm even if she had been allowed, but the fact that she was not is a travesty. 

An UberEats delivery driver in DC was delivering meals to people in the city when he was killed during a carjacking. The man, Mohammad Anwar, was 66 years old and, like Isabell Lewis, just trying to do his job and provide for his family. If he was allowed to carry and somehow got his hands on a DC carry permit, he might still be alive. 

Even if you choose to break the rules and carry a firearm so you can defend yourself when the need arises you will be punished for it. 

A Lyft driver in Cleveland, Ohio was subjected to a carjacking and fought back. Cynthia Norman picked up two men while driving for Lyft, they wanted to go to a local sports bar. After arriving at the location Norman realized that the location was closed, this is when the two men attacked her. They brutally assaulted her and verbally berated her while doing so. Cynthia Norman was able to fire a few rounds off and scare the attackers away. After Lyft found out about the incident they terminated her account and barred her from being a rideshare driver. 

The fact that these companies have a corporate policy of  “do not carry while at work” marks these drivers as sitting ducks. In the past we have taken a look at how schools being marked as gun-free zones mark them as soft targets, this is exactly what Uber and Lyft are doing with their policies. 

Follow the rules and you might be killed, break the rules and you will be fired. This is an unfair dichotomy for rideshare drivers, it’s time these companies quietly step up and let drivers make their own decisions in regards to safety.