‘Inappropriate’ driver awarded costs over Uber ban

EXCLUSIVE

An Uber driver who allegedly acted “inappropriately” to multiple female passengers will receive compensation from the ride-share app after a tribunal found his immediate ban was a breach of contract.

Sydney man Salahaldeen Suliman Hussaen Abdalla took Uber to the Civil and Administrative Tribunal after his account was deactivated following numerous complaints from female passengers.

In one case referred to before the Tribunal, Mr Abdalla allegedly insisted a passenger hand over her number and was “adamant” about being friends with her.

“It was a very uncomfortable situation for me and I was very scared because of his behaviour,” the passenger told the ride-share company in a complaint.

Another passenger reported Mr Abdalla said he could give her “a good friendship” and asked where her boyfriend was, the Tribunal heard

Mr Abdalla received a warning after the first incident but was later banned by the app.

He sought $10,000 in the tribunal from Uber, arguing they broke their contract and that he lost “thousands of dollars in lost income as a result”.

Mr Abdalla told Uber that during the second incident, the woman simply asked if he was “married or single” and he said he was single.

“That’s all,” he said.

He said that Uber had not done “a proper investigation” or given him a chance to appeal the deactivation.

“These claims are false and there is no evidence that was applied by Uber to prove the allegations,” he said.

“Therefore, I did not breach any of the community guidelines that was provided by Uber.”

The tribunal found as part of their contract, Uber is only permitted to terminate an agreement without cause of 30-days written notice.

The tribunal therefore ordered Uber to give Mr Abdalla the money he would have earned during the 30-day period after his termination – which was estimated to be $1000.

The tribunal also heard how Mr Abdalla also drives with Didi.

When asked by news.com.au whether Mr Abdalla was still a Didi driver, the company did not respond.

In a statement to news.com.au, a spokesman for Uber said the company received “multiple complaints of inappropriate behaviour” related to Mr Abdalla which were “thoroughly investigated” by our team.

He said the company would be upholding the ban.

“Nothing is more important than the safety and comfort of all users on the Uber platform,” he said.

“We do not take decisions to remove drivers’ access to the platform lightly, but in this case we stand by our decision given the multiple complaints received of alleged inappropriate behaviour.”