Julia said that within seconds, she was facing the worst nightmare of her parents. During the March break, she and her boyfriend, along with four children, were returning to his house from a Toronto Raptors game after a tire blowout in their Uber ride. Julia's five-year-old daughter had fallen asleep in the back seat of the car. After arriving at the destination and before getting out of the car, the couple loudly discussed their plan for how everyone would exit the vehicle. An image is sourced from the internet. Julia would grab the garage door opener from the car so they could all go inside together, while her boyfriend began unloading the other three children, their car seats, and winter coats from the Uber car. Once the path to the back seat was clear, Julia would carry her sleeping daughter out of the car. "When I got back to the road, I found the car was gone," she said. "I remember looking around the street and not seeing any vehicles moving. The three kids were hysterical. 'Why did he take her? Where did he go?' To keep calm for my son, I tried my best." Another image is sourced from the internet. Julia was stunned when she learned that Uber staff refused to provide assistance and the Toronto police also refused to contact the driver. (Names are pseudonyms) "All we wanted them to do was contact the driver—nothing more—and they refused. Julia said, "This is not the time to deal with bureaucratic red tape. This is not about a lost wallet or phone. It's about a five-year-old child on a winter night." Julia dialed 911, and the police arrived within minutes. An officer called Uber to get the driver's contact information, but Julia said a representative from the ride-hailing company refused to provide it, stating that the police needed to fill out a form. Uber's law enforcement guidelines stipulate that emergency disclosure requests must be submitted through the company's Public Safety Response Portal or via email using its Emergency Disclosure Form. Toronto Police confirmed they did not receive help from Uber. Spokesperson Stephanie Saye stated that the police had contacted the driver through other means. "The driver was unaware that the child was still in the car," Saye wrote in an email. "When the police arrived, the child was found to be in good condition. For safety reasons, medical personnel were called." Julia said it took the police about an hour and a half to find her five-year-old daughter. Subsequently, the police drove Julia to where her daughter was. She was "unharmed but in a state of hysteria." The police found the girl and the driver approximately 20 kilometers away from her boyfriend's residence in the northern part of the city. Julia's boyfriend later received a $10 credit from Uber, which she considered "a slap in the face." Uber said safety is their top priority. A spokesperson for Uber stated in a statement that the safety of every user who uses the platform is the company's top priority. The statement read, "We recognize how painful this situation is for the family and thank them for the safe reunion of the child with their parents." "We immediately began an internal review of the details of this incident to find opportunities for improving processes and support systems." Another image is sourced from the internet. The company said its support team followed Uber's standard protocols aimed at protecting the privacy and security of all users. Uber stated that its team recommended passengers contact law enforcement, and after the police contacted them, the company shared its expedited request solution. After receiving the request, Uber expressed support for the solution. Technology analyst Carmi Levy said this is an example of the loss of traditional customer service elements in today's gig economy. Levy said, "In theory, Uber can offer a lower-cost experience by cutting out much of the overhead of traditional transportation services." "Their efficiency and cost-effectiveness come at a price. That price is, if something goes wrong, it’s not as simple as just making a phone call for help." Since then, Julia's concerns about Uber have escalated. She said she hopes to receive compensation for the mental stress and wants the ride-sharing company to commit to changing its emergency response procedures so that others do not experience what she went through due to minors being left in Uber cars. "I made it very clear. You can give me $1 million CAD. If the policy doesn't change, I won't accept it. I need to see the policy change," Julia said. "No one should go through what we went through." Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7496305090233172515/ Disclaimer: The article solely represents the author's personal views. Feel free to express your attitude by clicking the 'thumbs up' or 'thumbs down' button below.