Uber Driver in Boston Area Is Charged With Rape

Prosecutors in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Wednesday charged an Uber driver with sexually assaulting a woman seeking a ride, the latest in a series of attacks on people who use the ride-hailing service.

Alejandro Done, the 46-year-old driver, is accused of picking up a young woman in Boston on December 6 while presenting himself as the driver for a ride-sharing service. He then drove to a secluded location, prosecutors say, where he beat and sexually assaulted the woman, whose name the officials have not disclosed. Done is charged with rape, assault to rape, kidnapping, and two counts of assault and battery.

While the authorities said Done had posed as a driver when he picked up the woman, it is unclear whether Done used information from the Uber application to aim at the woman.

"Every day people are engaging car services for their transportation needs, and placing their trust in them for their personal safety and security," Marian Ryan, the Middlesex County district attorney, said in a statement"While these services are a convenience, and often a necessity of modern urban living, we urge everyone to take precautions to ensure they are as safe as possible."

The incident comes as Uber reexamines its safety and driver screening policies. Over the past year, other Uber drivers in the Delhi region of India, San Francisco, Florida and Chicago have faced various charges of assault on passengers.

(Also see: Uber Banned by Delhi Government After Alleged Rape)

On Wednesday, Uber said it planned to invest in more comprehensive screening technologies to vet drivers, including biometric and voice identification techniques. Uber said it would also set up emergency response teams in its offices around the world, in order to assist passengers and the authorities in case of an emergency.

"This is a despicable crime and our thoughts and prayers are with the victim during her recovery," said Kaitlin Durkosh, an Uber spokeswoman. "Uber has been working closely with law enforcement and will continue to do everything we can to assist their investigation."

© 2014 New York Times News Service