Every night, thousands of people get into a stranger’s car and hope for the best.
As somebody who takes a lot of ride shares to get around, I prefer not to dwell on the risk I’m taking or whether I’m about living in a real-life Uber horror story. You never know who is behind the wheel, what kind of condition they’re in, or if they believe they can see and talk to ghosts (a very real thing that happened to me).
They might just talk your ear off, which is annoying enough!
These stories from Reddit will bring all the dangers of taking an Uber or Lyft to the forefront of your mind, so beware—you might not want to fire up those apps ever again. Redditor u/priestofpies asked r/AskReddit, “Uber passengers of Reddit that have given 1/5 stars on a ride, what happened to make it so bad?”
Rating someone one star is basically like saying they should be fired, so few people take this measure unless the situation is truly egregious. The Uber horror stories below absolutely are. Read them and then clutch the seat the next time you’re in the back of a stranger’s car.
1.
Kept talking me non-stop and was asking me sexual questions and kept trying to show me music videos on his phone while driving and drove me to the wrong location and ended up charging me more. Immediately gave him a 1 star. — astroidzombies
2.
My Uber was new to the area and attempted to drive down a rail road track. I asked what he was doing and he said “Oh sorry” — taylorpilot
3.
The driver didnt want to wait in traffic so he drove up onto the sidewalk. We all screamed at him to get back on the road as he continued to drive down the sidewalk while pedestrians ran out of the way. He told us that it wasn’t a sidewalk, it was an “uber lane.” It was a miracle he didnt actually run anyone over — mrswissmiss
4.
Didn’t acknowledge me at all, had some song screaming “just suck that dick” and “eat that pussy” on loop, and was face-booking while driving. — _Accident_Prone_
5.
Stopped on the highway to read road signs…during rush hour…more than once. — Hooked_on_PhoneSex
6.
He drove me around the fucking planet because he missed road signs and somehow got on the highway? I looked up and was horrified. I asked him why we got on the highway and he said because he couldn’t turn the other way because there was too much traffic. The trip was 15 minutes but took 1 hour and 2 minutes. It was insane. They tried to charge me for the whole trip too. — thespaghetticode
7.
Told me me gleefully that she ‘brake checks’ people who tailgate her, then proceeded to do it multiple times. — be_quiet_roo
8.
When I got into the car, he immediately yelled in a stern voice, “STATE YOUR ACCOUNT ID.” I take Uber almost daily, and I know drivers like to ask for your name, but I was so taken aback by the aggressive yelling.
As soon as I got into the car, I was met with the most awful smell I’ve ever experienced in my whole life. It was like something died in his car. I had to hold my breath throughout the 20 minute ride.
Then, he drove me to the wrong place. Two times. By the second time, I just decided to walk to my destination because I was so vexed by the smell. Before I got out, after sitting in the car in silence, he yelled, ‘RATE 5 STARS.” He wouldn’t unlock the door until I agreed.
Yep, 1/5. — bunny_ducky
9.
They drove over my foot as I was trying to get my luggage into the car lol — refusingtosink
10.
The guy fell asleep at the wheel and rear ended a car in front of us, then tried to flee, then left me at the side of the freeway. At Fruitvale in Oakland.
In the end I got a 500 dollar credit from Uber. — dressinbrass