Holding weed? Your Uber driver can get you banned from the app.
Your Uber driver is not your friend. In fact, they may very well be narcing on you right now — and you could get banned from the ride-hail app as a result.
The company's Community Guidelines strictly prohibit "bringing open containers of alcohol or drugs into the car," and that apparently includes weed. Marijuana, of course, is recreationally legal in nine states and the District of Columbia, but that doesn't mean Uber is cool with it.
One rider found that out the hard way after he got a notification from the company threatening "permanent account deactivation." The offense? Allegedly bringing some drugs into the vehicle.
"We're reaching out because we have received a claim that you may have been in possession of an illegal substance on a recent trip," read a message from Uber tweeted by Mike Mulloy. "We take these claims very seriously," the company added before noting that if he got caught again he could lose access to Uber.
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When reached for comment, an Uber spokesperson confirmed that drivers can indeed narc on their passengers right through the app.
"We have a zero tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol for both riders and drivers," the spokesperson explained in an email to Mashable. "If a driver suspects a rider has drugs or alcohol, they can report it to us through in-app support."
Uber also confirmed that it does indeed send out warnings to passengers who have been reported by drivers.
"For a first time offense, we send a warning to the rider," the spokesperson wrote. "Multiple reports of problematic behavior may result in a review of their account status."
Interestingly, Mulloy claims that he only smelled like weed.
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We reached out to Mulloy in an attempt to confirm where this went down (his Twitter bio lists LA and Boston), as well as get some additional details, but he didn't really feel like chatting.
"You don’t think there’s anything more important to write about," he replied over Twitter DM.
Getting narc'd on by your friendly neighborhood Uber driver truly is a buzzkill.
As of press time, Uber did not respond to a series of follow-up questions, including whether a rider could be banned for bringing weed into the vehicle in a state where marijuana possession is legal. Uber also did not say if the ability to report passengers in-app for suspected drug possession is new, and, if so, when the feature was added.
Either way, knowing that your driver can most definitely rat you out for holding a little herb is now a real fear. So don't, you know, get paranoid the next time you hazily call an Uber or anything.
UPDATE: July 10, 2018, 1:47 p.m. PDT: An Uber spokesperson confirmed that this is not a new feature, but rather part of a driver's ability to provide feedback on riders. When it comes to whether or not Uber would ban you for possessing marijuana in a state where it is legal, the spokesperson was less clear — noting only that Uber expects its drivers to follow local, state, and federal laws.
