A Virginia woman regained access to her Lyft account after the rideshare company initially deactivated it for “safety violations” because she jumped out of a moving car in fear that her driver was attempting to kidnap her during a ride in Washington, D.C.
A woman under the display name of Katlyn Skye on Twitter shared her experience with the service in a thread, stating that her driver on Saturday prolonged her ride by missing several turns.
She also reported noticing his driving was “very shaky and distracted” and asked if he was alright after he almost hit the car in front of him while in traffic.
Skye tweeted that the driver then allegedly exited the Lyft app and entered a different address into his GPS in the opposite direction of where she was wanting to go. She said the company alerted her by text that she was not heading toward her destination and included a link in case she required assistance.
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A Virginia woman said she was traveling in a Lyft ride in Washington, D.C., when she jumped out of the moving vehicle because she feared her driver was attempting to kidnap her. (iStock)
“I called out to my driver numerous times that he was taking me the wrong way,” Skye tweeted. “He ignored me. ‘My turn is left not right’ Sir, you’re going the wrong way’ ‘Hello, sir?!’ I finally said ‘Hello can you hear me?’ Screaming at this point. In response, he laughed and said ‘Sorry, I don’t speak English’ He did, in fact, speak English and had been the entire car ride.”
Skye said she started panicking and decided to jump out of the car as it turned a corner at a slower speed. Once she was out, she said she ran toward her destination without booking another ride. She then opened the link Lyft sent her and told them what happened, requesting that a representative call her.
The company allegedly said someone would call, but Skye said they only sent her messages.
“They appear to take my problem seriously, file a report, and issue a refund,” Skye wrote.
But the following day, she said she received an email from Lyft notifying her that her account had been deactivated for “alleged safety violations” because she was reported for jumping from a moving vehicle, and the decision was final.
“I’m extremely upset at this point, now feeling that Lyft did not understand my experience and all of their messages about valuing my safety as I filed the report was bulls–t,” Skye wrote on Twitter. “I replied to the email and asked how this could happen as I was the one fearing I was being kidnapped.”
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Lyft initially deactivated the woman’s account for “safety violations” before re-evaluating. (Getty)
She received a reply to her follow-up email in which the Lyft representative said they apologize for the inconvenience but that the decision to deactivate her account would remain final. Skye replied again requesting guidance on what steps she should have taken in her situation, adding that she received no word on the driver or his current status with Lyft.
Lyft answered her email by saying the company works with ADT, a security and automation provider, to allow riders to signal if they are in need of help. The rider would then be connected to one of ADT’s monitoring centers and authorities would be contacted with the vehicle’s description, license plate number and location, but Lyft reiterated that her account would remain deactivated.
On Tuesday morning, Lyft CEO David Risher saw the thread and said he would look into her situation.
“I’m so sorry you’ve gone through this, Katlyn. Let me have a look,” he replied to her tweets. “We can do better. And for those who say ‘protect women,’ I’m proud of our record, but there’s more to do. Stay tuned.”
Skye spoke to a Lyft representative that morning and received a follow-up email saying her account had been reactivated and that the charge for the ride was reimbursed. The email also said the driver’s behavior is “completely unacceptable” and “something we absolutely do not tolerate in the Lyft community.” The representative said they followed up with the driver to take “appropriate and necessary” actions.
A spokesperson for Lyft told Fox News Digital that “safety is fundamental.” (Getty)
A spokesperson for the rideshare company said, “safety is fundamental to Lyft,” in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“We take reports like this seriously and always work to take immediate and corrective action,” the spokesperson said. “Regrettably, our first response came up short, and therefore, we have reactivated the rider’s account and contacted her to offer our support. Since day one, we have worked hard to design policies and features that help protect both drivers and riders, and we are always looking for ways to make Lyft an even safer platform for our community.”
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According to Skye, another statement from the company to various media outlets claims the driver had no ill intent.
“An investigation reveals: ‘No reason to believe there was intent of harm. Rather this was a misunderstanding about the route to the rider’s destination,'” the statement read.
Skye told FOX 5 DC she plans to file a police report and will no longer be using Lyft.
“In a world where women are kidnapped daily and there is a rise in human trafficking, a person in this situation should be HEARD, not punished,” she wrote in the Twitter thread.
