Violent Assault Sparks Safety Concerns for Moroccan Carpooling App Users

The incident took place on June 29 in Rabat. A student had ordered a ride through the InDrive app. The two young women were waiting for the InDrive vehicle to pick them up at the Mega Mall shopping center in Rabat. When the driver arrived, they noticed a difference between the information provided on the vehicle, including the color, model and license plate. The driver was also accompanied by a woman. The two friends then refused to get into the vehicle, citing safety reasons. A violent argument broke out between them. It escalated. One of the women who had ordered the ride is said to have been assaulted as she tried to take photos of the vehicle’s license plate.

"I was not warned that there was someone else in the car. Then he asked me if I was the one who had ordered the ride. I said no, out of fear, and I put my phone on silent in case he got angry and started calling me. He then took my phone to check if I was the one who had ordered the ride," the victim told Morocco World News (MWN). Tensions intensified with the driver. He is said to have asked the woman accompanying him to get out of the car and to have beaten the other woman who had ordered the ride. "He said that if she refused, he would do it himself. Then the lady took me aside and tried to calm him down. She started talking to me, but I insisted that I couldn’t take the ride with him," she recounted.

The victim also explains that she tried to take photos, as he had threatened her by telling her that he had her number and that he would find her. The driver also assaulted her, punching her in the face and causing serious injuries to her jaw, before fleeing. He was not on the scene when the police arrived. The victim filed a complaint against the driver. An investigation is underway to determine the circumstances of the case.