These days, the most popular way of getting around is through Uber. The San Francisco-based ride-sharing company is the sixth largest internet company in the world, by revenue.

What’s not to love about a service that flags down a driver in an area and for a lower price? The whole Uber concept is genius and has been praised worldwide, but we have to feel sorry for what some Uber passengers and drivers go through.

In the recent years, various shocking Uber stories have surfaced; some about drivers from hell, and others about aggressive riders who are impossible to handle. In fact, lately, Uber has been facing immense criticism due to the multiple videos that emerge on the web almost every month. Most of these videos paint a different picture about Uber and cast doubt on a service that is believed to be a 21^st-century revolution from traditional taxis.

Since its inception in 2009, the company has been particularly questioned about its screening process, after several reported assaults by drivers. Uber, on the other hand, has defended itself claiming that drivers are independent contractors and not direct employees of Uber. The company has always defended itself that it is an online marketplace and not a transportation provider.

Experts argue that Uber has deliberately lowered the bar for drivers because it values profits over safety. This way, it is able to dominate the rideshare market at the expense of the rider’s safety.

After its debut back in 2009, Uber became a role model for the sharing economy. The app became a darling to taxi users who were fed up with the high fares. Since then, Uber has been the go-to service when one needs to desperately move faster from one location to another without using public transport. It has revolutionized global taxi markets and has made it possible to request a cab with just the tap of a button.

But all the good has come at a price of course. Uber has witnessed employee complaints, protests, and a couple of horror stories from both customers and drivers. It is safe to say that the ease and simplicity of the Uber app is not all rosy.

These are some of the stories:

20. IRATE RIDER ‘TERRORIZES’ UBER DRIVER AND THREATENS TO ACCUSE HIM OF RAPE

An aggressive woman threatened to maliciously accuse an Uber driver of assault and rape after the driver informed her he did not have an iPhone charger. Apparently, the woman’s phone was dead, and she expected the driver to have a charger.

In the shocking footage, which was recorded by a dashcam, the woman threatens to scream through the window about the man raping her. She adds that she will punch herself in the face and tell cops that the driver is responsible.

The incident took place at the corner of 138th St. and Cypress Ave. in the Bronx. The foul-mouthed woman continues to hurl racial expletives at the driver who remains calm even after she dares him to return to his country.

She repeatedly provokes the driver claiming that Donald Trump was going to send his family back and abusively asks him to leave her country.

During the short trip, the man repeatedly asks the irate passenger to stop disrespecting him. The woman threatens him that she is from the Bronx and she can spit in his face. She insists that she will not step out until he calls the cops.

At one point, the rider goes bonkers and threatens to call her boyfriend.

After the horrifying confrontation, the woman gets up and leaves without bothering to pay for the ride. As soon as the woman steps out, the driver is left venting about the unpleasant experience.

You can watch the full video here.

19. UBER DRIVER AND CLIENT FIGHT ‘WITH WEAPON’ IN BUSY SOUTH WEST LONDON STREET

Twitter user @Mickalars posted the video on 14^th January 2017. In the footage, a brawl breaks out between a passenger and an Uber driver in one of London’s busy streets near Queenstown Road.

The two men are seen throwing violent swings at each other as cars rushed past. At one point, one of the men is seen punching the other then swinging a weapon before the pair continue to trade blows. According to onlookers, the weapon resembled what looked like a spanner or wrench.

The video was filmed by a London taxi driver going by the name Mick. In the footage, an unidentified woman is seen trying to desperately break up the row, but she seems to be overwhelmed. According to police, an Uber driver in his 40s reported that he had been assaulted by a passenger that same night.

The brawl took place on Wandsworth Road at around midnight. According to an Uber spokesman, it was the Uber driver who called the police.

18. UBER CAUSES A MASSIVE FIREBALL

The incident took place in Seattle and claimed the life of a 35-year-old man who was pronounced dead at Harborview Medical Center. According to news sources, the Uber, which was being driven by a 60-year-old man, plunged into the man’s car and caused a fiery explosion at a North Seattle gas station.

The man was headed north on Holman Road when his Honda Accord was hit by the Nissan Xterra SUV (working for Uber), which was also en route the same direction. After the impact, the Honda veered off into a tree that split it into half while the victim was trapped inside.

The Uber, on the other hand, lost control and sped down the road; passing through a parking lot before ramming into gas pumps and causing a massive fireball. At the time of the accident, the SUV had a passenger whose life was also at risk.

Witnesses confessed that the 2007 SUV had been speeding when it hit the Honda. Some witnesses disclosed that the at one point, the Uber was airborne before it smashed into the Shell station on 4^th Avenue.

The Uber driver and his passenger, a 40-year-old woman, were lucky to survive the ordeal and were rushed to a nearby hospital with just a few injuries.

17. UBER DRIVER GOES ON A SHOOTING SPREE IN KALAMAZOO

On February 20, 2016, 45-year-old Uber driver, Timothy Dalton, was involved in a shooting spree. Dalton was accused of killing six people and injuring two others. The shootings took place in different locations: near a restaurant, at a car dealership, and around a housing complex. And the incidents happened in between picking up passengers.

Tiana Carruthers, aged 25, was the first victim. She survived even though she was critically wounded. Richard Smith and his son Tyler were murdered while they were checking out cars at a dealership. Dalton proceeded to shoot five more people, four of them fatally, in a parking lot just west of Kalamazoo.

In his defense, Dalton claimed that he committed the atrocities because the Uber app took control of his “mind and body.” He revealed that his iPhone ‘instructed’ him where to go and when to kill.

He further added that he would have engaged in a shootout with the cops, but the app ’directed’ him not to. According to Dalton, a symbol, which he believes was the Eastern Star, popped up when he opened the Uber app.

But the story he told his wife was different. He had confided to his wife that he was in a spat with another cab driver and that someone had tried to shoot him earlier.

According to Uber, Dalton had passed background checks, and Kalamazoo County Prosecutor confirmed that he had no criminal record. This is one of the instances where Uber’s screening process has come under fire.

16. UBER DRIVER PUNCHES A WOMAN PASSENGER AND THROWS KEYS AT THE WOMAN’S BABY

An Uber driver was accused of punching a young mom and throwing keys at her daughter.

According to 25-year-old Annastazia Merret, the cabbie hit her twice and left her with a black eye before calling her a “white bitch.” At one point, the driver even tried to drag her back into the car. The Asian driver then threw keys at her one-year-old daughter, Savannah and racially abused the mixed-race child; calling her father a “slave.”

Merret admitted that she had to hit the driver back in her defense and describes the confrontation as one of the most horrible experiences in her life. Sadly, according to the young mom, the police let him back into his car, and he drove off. According to the officers who were at the scene, there was no enough evidence to arrest either party, and a community resolution was suggested.

Merret claims she was trying to get her baby’s seat out of the Uber while trying to unlock the gate. In the process, she asked for a helping hand. Apparently, trouble started when the two disagreed over whether the mother of one would fit Savannah’s car seat into the Uber. The driver then became rude and informed her that he does not listen to women.

Merret also disclosed that the driver made offensive sexist remarks during the entire journey from Croydon to South London.

Uber claimed they had received conflicting stories about the incident.

15. UBER DRIVER ATTACKS PREGNANT PASSENGER

Myra Julie Graham, a 46-year-old female Uber driver, was accused of allegedly assaulting a pregnant passenger, Atiya Abdul-Khaliq, on January 30, 2017. 22-year-old Atiya, from Ohio, was visiting her sister in Atlanta on the night of the alleged attack.

The incident occurred in College Park, outside a house that the victim was staying with her friends. According to Atiya, who was two months pregnant, she was waiting for the ride outside the home, together with a friend. But she saw a driver who had parked a few doors down and thought she might have given the wrong address. After getting into the car, she asked about it.

When she tried to ask Graham more questions, the driver got pissed and asked her, in a harsh tone, to get out of the car if she did not want the ride. But just as she was about to leave the car, Graham grabbed her hair and allegedly spun her around before punching her in the eye and kicking her.

She continued to attack the mother-to-be even after the other passenger – who was trying to save the unborn baby – tried screaming. When Atiya’s friend tried to stop the brawl and even sought to call the police, Graham threatened that she would run them over.

After the incident, Atiya, who had been ten weeks pregnant, bled for days and her doctors were worried she was going to miscarry. Uber termed the incident as upsetting and they claimed they had removed the driver from the app.

Graham was arrested on aggravated assault charges. However, a deeper look into her history revealed that she had been previously arrested for battery.

14. PSYCHOPATH MIAMI CHIC BULLIES AND ASSAULTS AN UBER DRIVER

On January 2016, a Florida doctor was captured on video bullying and assaulting an Uber driver in the Brickell area of Miami.

In the video, the fourth-year neurology resident identified as Anjali Ramkissoon is seen berating the driver. Ramkissoon gets more violent and attempts to knee the driver in the groin. When he pushes her off, she comes back for more; cursing and unleashing her anger on his belongings. Ramkissoon gets into the Uber and throws out items through the window because the driver had declined to get inside. She throws out Uber fliers, scissors, a master lock, and the driver’s iPhone. Strangely, the enraged woman was trying to get into an Uber that had been ordered by someone else.

The customer – who had ordered the Uber – decided to film the heated exchange and posted it on YouTube.

At the time of the incident, Ramkissoon was employed by Jackson Health System, but she had to be placed on administrative leave after the video surfaced. The pint-sized medical professional was also relieved of all her clinical duties before she was eventually fired. Uber also suspended her account.

After the video, Ramkissoon was publicly shamed for her drunken behavior. She, however, came out to defend herself and confided that she deeply regretted her actions that night. She claimed that on that day, her father had been hospitalized and she had been dumped. Ramkissoon revealed that she was sorry she had hurt so many people.

13. UBER DRIVER REPEATEDLY PUNCHES WHEELCHAIR CYCLIST AND LEAVES HIM LYING IN THE STREET

In a terrifying road rage incident, an Uber driver allegedly mowed down and punched a physically challenged cyclist. The victim, who was riding a special bike, was left unconscious and bloodied while his bike was left mangled on Endell Street in Camden.

According to a witness, named Mick, the drama began started after driver ‘hijacked’ the cyclist’s space. The disabled man then banged the bonnet of the Prius, but his action angered the Uber employee. The 38-year-old driver immediately jumped out and pounced on the cyclist. It seems the cyclist was trying to overtake the Uber and this led to the quarrel.

According to the witness, the brawl only lasted seconds before the enraged driver realized the Uber had ran into a stationary vehicle. He even got angrier and ran back to punch the cyclist in the face; knocking him out.

The 27-year-old victim remained unconscious for about 20 seconds, as everyone around stared helplessly. During the entire ordeal, a client was inside the Uber.

Horrified witnesses managed to capture a video, and the Uber driver was apprehended on suspicion of grievous bodily harm.

12. UBER DRIVER ATTACKS RIDER FOR GETTING SNOW IN HIS CAR

On December 18, 2016, an Uber driver named Muntsr Abuseini tracked the home of one of his passengers and attacked him for getting snow on his car.

The 34-year-old man and his friend had requested for Uber, but as they stepped into the car, they ‘dirtified’ it with some snow. 25-year-old Abuseini asked the men to shake off their shoes first, and an argument erupted.

The victim then canceled the ride and ejected the car; slamming the door behind him. At the same time, his friend hurled a snowball towards Abuseini’s automobile. The Uber driver got enraged and engaged in a brief physical fight with the victim.

After leaving the scene, the Uber driver called 911 and asked police officers to meet him at the victim’s apartment in Logan Square, Chicago. He had tracked down the location since it had been recorded in the app as the victim’s destination. Before heading there, Abuseini ‘enlisted’ two other Uber drivers for ‘backup.’ Meanwhile, the victim and his friend requested for another cab.

As requested, the police showed up at the 1800 block of North Fairfield Avenue, but they left after the victim failed to show up. However, Abuseini, together with the other drivers, waited patiently for their ‘prey.’

When the victim finally showed up, Abuseini used an extendable baton to hit his head and left him with a black eye and bruises. The attack was so that it left the man needing nine stitches on his head.

11. PASSENGER CLAIMS UBER DRIVER LEFT HIM IN A POOL OF BLOOD AFTER ATTACKING HIM

Joseph Fusco, director of public safety at Cabrini College, sued Uber for assault, fraud, and negligence, among other wrongs. According to 30-year-old Fusco, he almost lost his life after an Uber driver declined to drive him to his home in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

Fusco was coming from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on December 22, 2016, after attending a private function at Cavanaugh’s Restaurant & Sports Bar together with friends. After the merry making, Fusco requested for an Uber and met the Toyota Corolla on Market Street.

But he had failed to input his destination on time. When the driver asked where he was headed, Fusco replied that he wanted to go to “Jersey.” The driver responded that he was not going to drive to New Jersey.

When Fusco asked again, the driver got out of the Uber and pulled the victim out; kicking and beating him even severely even though he was unconscious. The driver then left him lying in a pool of blood and fled the scene. Fusco suffered facial fractures and lost some teeth. Fortunately, the drama was captured by a surveillance camera.

Fusco was later found unconscious and was taken to a nearby hospital. His attacker, identified as 57-year-old Major C. Fuller was later arrested and charged with aggravated assault. To add salt to the injury, Fusco discovered that he had been billed for a 28-minute ride that he did not even use. The company later reimbursed him.

Fuller’s records showed that he had been arrested back in 1984 for being in possession of a firearm in a public place.

10. UBER DRIVER STABS PASSENGER MULTIPLE TIMES BECAUSE HE ‘DISRESPECTED’ THE CAR

23-year-old Jacob Matthew Allemon, an Uber driver from Berkley, stabbed a passenger five times because the client “disrespected” his car. The incident took place in Bloomfield Township after Allemon had picked the victim and his wife from a holiday party.

And it all started with two knocks on the windshield.

As the 49-year-old passenger from Beverly Hills was getting in, he tapped on the car window to let Allemon know he was getting in. But the driver was not impressed by his actions. According to Allemon, the passenger had “disrespected” his vehicle.

After driving for only a mile, Allemon ordered the man to get out of the car, but the man was hesitant because there was a snowstorm and he wanted to wait for another Uber. A fight ensued, and Allemon stabbed his victim more than four times – on his chest, face, and back – with a 2.5-inch pocket knife before the passenger disarmed him.

Allemon was later arrested in the parking lot of a shopping center and was arraigned in court for assault. According to him, he was acting in self-defense. He further disclosed that the victim had appeared to be very emotional, and was breathing fast and crying.

That is what prompted him to end the ride; however, when he asked the man to get out, the man and his wife declined. He claimed the man started choking him.

9. YOUNG WOMEN TAKEN ON A DREADFUL RIDE BEFORE GETTING ‘DUMPED’ IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT

After a night of fun at Club 195 in Epping, Essex, 26-year-old Rachel Cousins, and 28-year-old Shenel Osman wanted to head home. However, according to the two females, their trip turned into a nightmare after the driver took them for a dreadful ride in the night and ‘abandoned’ them by a deserted reservoir.

The Uber driver, who was driving a black Mercedes E-Class, is accused of becoming violent before abandoning the women. According to the two, the driver ‘detoured’ then quadrupled the fare when they requested him to turn around.

When Shenel canceled the journey, the angry driver turned hostile and only stopped around 1 am in Chingford, East London. According to the pair, both from Cheshunt in Hertfordshire, the driver became violent and grabbed Rachel’s arm while shouting that the two were no longer his responsibility.

The driver had become furious because his trip was canceled. After the girls had been ejected from the Uber, they called for another taxi and also reached out to the police. According to them, the driver was unprofessional and heartless.

8. UBER DRIVER ROBS AND ASSAULTS DISABLED WOMAN

A senior woman called an Uber guy, Wilson Brea, to come and pick her up, but little did she know that her day was going to be ruined. The 21-year-old man allegedly ended up stealing from the disabled woman and even assaulted her in the process.

The woman had not asked for Uber using the app; she called the man because she had his number – the driver had carried her before, and she had his contacts. When Brea arrived at the woman’s Malden home, he claimed that he needed to use the bathroom.

However, when he was coming out, he allegedly snatched the woman’s handbag and a bag of medicine. He even had the guts to apologize to the woman for the robbery.

The bag had tons of cash and credit cards, according to the 60-year-old woman. When the woman tried confronting him, he shoved her without caring about her age. The driver was later arrested and was barred from driving in the state of Massachusetts.

7. UBER DRIVER ‘FLAUNTS’ GUN TO THREATEN GAY MEN

A homophobic driver pulled a gun at two young men, both 24 years old, during a short ride from a gay bar in Atlanta’s Buckhead apartment.

On June 12, 2016, the two men requested for an Uber to pick them up on Piedmont Avenue and drive them to an apartment about two miles away. After the men had jumped into the cab, the short ride turned violent.

According to one of the men, who was a flight attendant, the driver got pissed when the flight crew flirted with him by complimenting his looks.

The driver was so upset that he pulled out a gun and pointed it towards the man and asked him to shut up. The two men had to remain quiet for the remainder of the journey.

But the Uber driver was not done with the duo. After arrival at the apartment, he ordered the men out at gunpoint and stalked them until they got into the apartment complex.

The victim did not press criminal charges and declined to discuss the incident in detail. But the driver was apparently removed from the app after the company became aware of the incident.

6. SOUTH FLORIDA UBER DRIVER THWARTS ROBBERY ATTEMPT BY FATALLY SHOOTING A WOULD-BE ROBBER

An Uber driver in Florida fatally shot a would-be robber who cut him off near Aventura Mall.

The robber, who was driving a minivan, ambushed the Uber driver, 29-year-old Namique Anderson, near the high-end South Florida mall after Anderson had picked a passenger. After blocking him, Anderson revealed that the thug brandished two handguns and pointed them at him while walking towards the car.

But the Anderson wasted no time. He also withdrew his weapon and shot the robber; ending his life on the spot. The other accomplice, who was also in the minivan, jumped into the driver’s seat and sped off, according to the driver.

Anderson and his passenger were lucky they did not sustain any injuries. The assailant was later identified as 24-year-old Kevin DeVincent Johnson.

The incident took place around 5 a.m. on December 18, 2016, after Anderson had picked a passenger who was headed to Fort Lauderdale airport. According to the police, the Uber driver was licensed to carry a firearm, and it was okay to have it in his car. In fact, according to Chris Goranitis, who is Aventura Police Sgt and spokesman, the men had committed another armed robbery about an hour earlier.

5. UBER DRIVER ALLEGEDLY TRIES TO BURGLARIZE CLIENT AFTER DROP-OFF

Gerald Montgomery allegedly picked up a passenger and drove her to Denver International Airport before returning to rob her home. The Uber driver was arrested on suspicion of burglary after the Denver woman accused her of trying to burglarize her house.

The roommate noticed the man at the back door since the screen door was open. When she asked him what he wanted, the cab driver replied that he was a friend of the other roomie. But the woman told him that she was not expecting any guests.

When she came back, after contacting her friend, she discovered that the man had already fled without a word. However, he had left behind a device used for picking locks. The robbery attempt had been unsuccessful because there was someone else in the house.

According to police, 51-year-old Montgomery was unaware that his passenger had a roommate. But after noticing that there was someone in the house, he had no option but to flee.

The driver was apprehended on suspicion of attempted second-degree burglary after the woman’s roommate contacted Denver Police Department and reported an attempted break-in. The two women had consulted about the whereabouts of the ‘guest’ before they discovered it was the Uber driver who had visited the premises earlier.

4. PASSENGER STRUCK IN HEAD WITH HAMMER BY UBER X DRIVER

Patrick Karajah, a 26-year-old Uber driver, was accused of hitting his passenger with a hammer after the two started quarreling over a route.

Trouble started when Karajah took the freeway instead of city streets. When the passengers asked why he was taking a different route, the driver got mad and stopped twice to try and force the clients out of his car. A female passenger tried to calm things down, but Karajah got more agitated until he snapped near Ellsworth Street and asked the three customers to leave the car.

After a little confrontation, and no sign of a resolve, the driver got more angered and smashed the head of one passenger, Roberto Chicas, with a claw hammer.

35-year-old Chicas had entered the UberX around 2 a.m. on September 23, 2014, and expected that he would get home safely. Chicas had finished his bartending shift at the SOMA British restaurant The Cavalier and hoped that he, together with his friends, would reach home safely. But the trip took an unfortunate turn and landed him in the hospital.

The attack left the victim with a severely bloodied eye and a fractured skull. In fact, Chicas had to be admitted for three days because he was in serious danger of losing his eye and he needed reconstructive surgery on his face. Karajah, on the other hand, was charged with two felony counts of battery with serious bodily injury and assault with a deadly weapon.

Though Karajah did not have a previous criminal record, the fact that he was carrying a claw hammer suggested that he was ready for trouble.

3. UBER DRIVER ASSAULTS MODEL AND PUSHES EARRING THROUGH HER SKIN

Lorraine Delp was extremely mad at Uber after one of its drivers, Djamel Khelife, dislocated her nose and pushed an earring through her skin in a road rage incident. Lorraine went ahead to file a $500,000 lawsuit against the car service and Khelife for the incident that took place on July 17, 2014, at around 3 p.m.

Khelife had apparently stopped Delp in a traffic jam along the 1300 block of Sansom Street then approached her car and started pounding the door. He then spat on Delp’s window and asked her to move while cursing. The model got pissed and ejected from her vehicle to confront the driver.

It was at this point that Khelife punched her in the face and dislocated the cartilage in her nose. The drama did not end there, Khelife then pushed Delp’s earring through her skin and punctured her neck.

After the brawl, Delp suffered minor scratches and a torn shirt. She may have been lucky there were bystanders who stopped the fight.

Khelife was later arrested for simple assault, aggravated assault, and recklessly endangering another person.

2. UBER DRIVER TRIES TO RAPE WOMAN AFTER SHE REBUFFS HIS ADVANCES

In one of many sexual assault lawsuits, a Minnesota woman sued Uber after alleging that one of its drivers tried to rape her. According to the woman, the incident took place in August 2016.

The woman accused Uber of being negligent in its hiring process and added that the company is unsafe – not what purports to be. The woman – who remained anonymous – together with two of her friends had ordered for an Uber to be driven to a Minneapolis bar.

Abdel Jaquez received their request and went to pick them up then drove them their destination. Jaquez and Jane Doe exchanged numbers so that the woman would contact him when they were ready to leave.

Jane Doe and another friend later rode with Jaquez to the next bar. However, when they were exiting the car, Doe discovered that she had left her phone plugged in the Uber and went back to pick it.

It was at this point that the woman alleges Jaquez complemented her and tried kissing her, but when she declined, Jaquez started driving without bothering that she was partially inside the car.

The driver then stopped and attempted to kiss and grope her. According to the woman, Jaquez even tried to take off her clothes by tearing off a button from her shirt. Fortunately, the Jane Doe managed to flee and went to narrate the ordeal to her friends.

The woman sued Uber for battery, negligent hiring, fraud, assault, and false imprisonment.

1. UBER DRIVER UNHAPPY WITH PASSENGERS WHO SLAMMED CAR DOORS; THREATENS THEM WITH A GUN

39-year-old Junior P. Justin was angered when passengers slammed his car doors. Justin had picked up four men, all in their 20s, in Lancaster Township on June 25, 2016, and drove them to a convenience store in Millersville.

However, when the four men were getting out of the car, they slammed the doors in a way that angered Justin. He even warned them about it. Justin then got out and followed them before the argument escalated near the store’s breezeway.

After arguing for a couple of minutes, Justin lifted his T-shirt and revealed his pistol to them. He even warned that if he ever saw them, they would be sorry. The 9mm Ruger Pistol was tucked in his waistband and he ‘flaunted’ it just before he ended the argument.

The incident was recorded by surveillance cameras, but the police declined to release the footage. Justin faced a simple assault charge, but Uber removed him from their app.

Sources: thesun.co.uk, dailymail.co.uk, geekwire.com, usatoday.com, cnn.com