Drivers who use Lyft, Uber, or one of the food delivery services expect those companies to do a background check on their drivers. Rideshare users want to know that the person they are getting in the car with is not a violent felon, sex offender, or at the very least, has a valid driver's license. 

Unfortunately, some Lyft, Uber, and GrubHub drivers are actually using someone else's account. They may not even be qualified to be a driver because of prior DUIs, failed background checks, or they do not even have a driver's license or insurance. The rideshare companies do not seem to be bothered too much, as long as they keep making money, even if it puts others at risk of injury. 

Hit and Run by GrubHub Driver

A restaurant worker in Illinois was injured in a hit and run by a Grubhub driver in May. According to local news reports, 24-year-old Bijan Early helps out at her family's restaurant on the weekends. Early told the driver that their social distancing policy is only one person inside the restaurant at a time. The driver allegedly refused to leave, blocked the door, then kicked the door and left. 

Early and her mother went outside to get the driver's license plate number and the driver threatened to run her over if she didn't move. Then he allegedly drove forward, hit the woman, causing injury to her shoulders, pelvis, arms, and head.   

The driver has since been charged with aggravated battery using a deadly weapon, aggravated battery causing great bodily harm, failure to report an injury accident, leaving the scene of an accident, and driving without a license. 

The injury victim filed a lawsuit against Grubhub for her injuries, including broken arms and legs and suffering significant nerve damage. 

Grubhub is trying to distance themselves from the driver, even though he was using the platform to accept deliveries, pick up food, deliver food, and collect money. Grubhub claimed that the driver was not actually a Grubhub driver, that he was fraudulently using another driver's account to make deliveries. 

Shared Driver Accounts are Uber's “Dirty Little Secret” 

An article in The Wall Street Journal, “Uber's ‘Dirty Little Secret': Shared Driver Accounts,” reported on how Uber drivers were sharing or even renting out driver accounts. According to Transport for London, the UK city's transportation regulator determined that between late 2018 and early 2019, 14,000 Uber rides were not conducted by authorized drivers. This was one of the reasons why the city revoked Uber's operating license. 

The same issue has been happening here in the U.S. Like many of the safety concerns for Uber and Lyft, these reports generally come to light after an investigation, and not on the rideshare companies' own initiative. 

Uber and Lyft are well aware of the problem of people sharing driver accounts. A quick search of the popular forums used by Uber, Lyft, GrubHub, Uber Eats, Postmates, and other rideshare driving and delivery drivers openly discuss the question of how to share accounts and what will happen if the company's discover the inappropriate use of someone else's account. 

Injury in a Rideshare with a Fake Driver

If someone is not approved to be driving for Uber or Lyft but does it anyway and causes an accident, Uber or Lyft should still be responsible for the reckless use of their platform. 

If you or a loved one was injured in a Lyft, Uber, or GrubHub accident in the greater Denver metropolitan area, please do not hesitate to contact accidentdenver.com today at 303-642-8888 for a free consultation.