Milwaukee Uber driver safety concern; city ordinance raises questions

MILWAUKEE - Uber drivers in dangerous situations can normally use a safety feature in the app that connects them to help and police.

But that's not the case for Milwaukee drivers.

A city ordinance is causing questions and concerns.

Dangerous situation

Local perspective:

After driving Uber for almost a decade, one man has probably seen it all.

But even after years of comfort and chaos, he said what happened while picking up a woman and small child early Monday morning surprised even him.

"I say 'ma'am do you have a car seat?', and she says 'no, I don't', and I say, 'well, it's illegal for me to take you with a young child and no car seat."

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He said the woman started screaming about getting her money back and her mother joined in from outside the car.

"It looks like she was waving a gun in the air, and she says, "Get the f out of my neighborhood,'" he said. "I was lost, like, this is a scary life or death matter. I got to get out of here."

The driver said he hit the emergency button in the app. ADT Security answered and told him that because he was in Milwaukee, they couldn't contact the police for him, but sent him a link to call Uber.

Safety concerns

Dig deeper:

In 2022, Uber partnered with home and business security company ADT Security for in-app safety features.

ADT sent this statement, saying in part, "due to a local ordinance in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which is not specific to Uber, ADT is unable to directly contact 911 on behalf of Uber users in the city."

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They say they're referring to a specific ordinance that cites a burglar alarm policy. The policy doesn't specifically mention rideshare apps, but it does say police will respond to verified alarms.

The other side:

Milwaukee City Clerk Jim Owczarski told FOX6 it's not true that police won't respond to ADT. Police will respond to ADT, but the company has to verify the emergency first.

ADT also said even with this limitation, they strongly encourage those in Milwaukee who require emergency assistance to contact 911 directly. They say this can also be done through the Uber app.