Uber Canada says it is modified emergency insurance policies after driver left with baby in backseat

Uber Canada says it has up to date its security protocols for emergency conditions after an incident in March the place firm representatives refused to contact a driver after he drove off with a baby. 

Julia Viscomi stated Uber buyer assist refused to assist her or Toronto police contact the motive force after he left together with her 5-year-old daughter asleep within the backseat in North York, CBC Toronto reported in April. 

Police ended up discovering the kid with out receiving assist from Uber, about an hour and a half after the motive force left together with her, Viscomi stated. 

“Whereas our commonplace protocol for critical security incidents directs that solely skilled regulation enforcement ought to provoke contact with a driver, we acknowledge that distinctive circumstances, such because the incident on March 10, 2025, might require frontline buyer assist brokers to step in and facilitate communication,” Uber Canada stated in an announcement on Friday. 

“Consequently, we have now up to date our inside procedures to replicate this necessary clarification.” 

This replace is efficient instantly, the corporate confirmed to CBC Toronto.

Viscomi stated she was “completely elated” by the change.

“There had been nothing [but] silence from each the Metropolis of Toronto and Uber for the final few minutes so I knew that issues have been being labored on, however I did not know to what extent,” she stated. 

“This was a really comfortable shock.” 

‘Our response may and may have been higher’ 

Michael van Hemmen, normal supervisor of Uber Canada Rides, wrote a letter to Viscomi dated Thursday, apologizing for the incident. 

“Our response may and may have been higher, as our insurance policies weren’t constructed with such a circumstance in thoughts,” he wrote within the letter, supplied to CBC Toronto. 

He stated the inner updates “acknowledge that in distinctive circumstances, such because the one involving your baby, time is of the essence.”

After the Uber representatives wouldn’t contact the motive force, Viscomi stated she known as 911. An officer known as Uber to get contact data for the motive force however she stated a consultant for the ride-sharing firm refused to offer it — stating the police wanted to fill out a kind. 

Uber’s tips for regulation enforcement say emergency disclosure requests should be submitted by way of the corporate’s public security response portal or by e-mail utilizing its emergency disclosure kind.

Spokesperson Keerthana Rang stated the Uber Canada assist workforce adopted commonplace protocols in the course of the incident and suggested the rider to contact regulation enforcement. 

A Toronto police officer submitted a request by way of the general public security response portal on the evening of the incident, she stated in an e-mail to Radio-Canada on Friday. 

Uber Canada responded with figuring out data on the motive force, but it surely took simply over an hour for Toronto police to get this data, she stated — main the corporate to provoke an inside overview to overview its current processes and identification alternatives for enchancment. 

Toronto police confirmed in April that they discovered the kid with out assist from Uber Canada. 

In Friday’s assertion, Uber Canada stated it has supplied Toronto police with a “complete overview of how Uber handles emergency requests.” 

The corporate stated it distributed inside reference supplies and spoke at a month-to-month assembly of senior officers. In-person coaching with officers about Uber’s public security workforce and portal have been scheduled for the autumn. 

Uber Canada stated it additionally met with senior management from the Metropolis of Toronto’s municipal licensing and requirements division to debate the incident. 

Shane Gerard, a spokesperson for town, confirmed to CBC Toronto on Friday afternoon that “workers are presently assembly with car for rent trade stakeholders like Uber to evaluate one of the best ways to deal with the Metropolis Council path in April.”

That path requested workers to advise council on attainable metropolis actions to require vehicle-for-hire licensees “to take larger accountability to straight help clients and regulation enforcement in emergency conditions.”

Gerard famous {that a} workers member has “emailed and spoken” with Viscomi since council’s April resolution. 

Uber Canada stated it has applied different updates as nicely to security protocols and operational procedures, however can’t disclose them “to guard and operational integrity and safety of our security methods.”