Someone is posing as a driver for Uride in North Bay

North Bay individual posing as a Uride driver The North Bay Police Service is warning the public about an individual posing as a rider share driver in the area.

The North Bay Police Service is warning the public about a driver who is pretending they belong to a local rideshare service.

“An individual is operating in North Bay falsely claiming to be a registered driver for rideshare service Uride,” police said in a news release Friday.

The suspect has their vehicle covered in Uride decals, enticing people to hire them without using the app.

“Because the driver is not registered with Uride and, therefore, cannot accept payment digitally through the app, at the end of trips, the driver demands cash payment from riders,” police said.

While there are no reports that the suspect is “behaving in a violent manner,” police said they have not completed proper safety screening.

“To ensure your own safety, riders should only use licensed taxi and rideshare services,” police said.

“The Uride rideshare app provides users with all information necessary to verify that your ride is legitimate. When your rideshare arrives, double check the driver’s photo and name as well as the vehicle description and license plate number in order to ensure you are entering a legitimate, registered vehicle. If the information does not match, do not enter the vehicle.”

A spokesperson for Uride said the company is “extremely disappointed” to hear about the case.

“We take the safety and well-being of the community very seriously,” Vince Scott, regional operations manager, is quoted as saying in the release.

“We would like to remind all residents that drivers on the Uride platform are all thoroughly vetted and we urge them to only access Uride via our app and confirm the license plate and vehicle prior to entering a vehicle.”

If you believe you have travelled in an unregistered rideshare or taxi or have additional information about this occurrence, report the incident to the North Bay Police Service at 705-497-5555 and press 9 to speak with an officer.

In an emergency, dial 911. Those wishing to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.