Priscilla expects to feel unsafe when she uses a taxi or rideshare to get to the strip club where she works.
“It’s a running joke in the [sex work] industry that you’ll get creeped on by your driver,” she said.
Priscilla, which is her professional name, is a sex worker based in regional Victoria, and relies on rideshare services to travel for bookings in Melbourne or other towns.
But she said the actions of some drivers had left her wary when booking a ride.
“The addresses of where I work get me recognised, so [drivers] will ask really invasive questions or make creepy comments. Some have even tried to solicit me,” Priscilla said.
“It puts me in an incredibly uncomfortable situation.”
Priscilla said she always had a “backup plan” when opening the door of a taxi or rideshare.
“I have had [drivers] hang around to see which house is mine, so now I get dropped off at the end of the street and walk the rest of the way,” she said.
Priscilla has made multiple reports but has not seen any drivers held accountable.
“I end up talking to a bot and decide not to continue the complaint,” she said.
“Filling out a report can be really mentally draining, which I would still be happy to do if I knew it would actually lead to change. But it never does.”
A shared experience
Dan Martin performs as a drag queen and has also felt uncomfortable using a rideshare service.
On the way to a performance, and dressed in drag, he was denied a booking on the NSW Central Coast.
“The driver looked at me, did a loop, and drove off,” he said.
“It was completely degrading.
“It’s such a different attitude when I present as a boy compared to when I’m in drag. It’s really unprofessional.”
Dan said it left him having to walk 45 minutes home in the dark in drag, which was “frightening”.
“It scares the sh*t out of you … you’re left in a place you don’t know,” he said.
“All we want to do is live our life, go out for a drink, or see some friends. It shouldn’t be a safety issue.”
Women and gender-diverse more vulnerable
University of Melbourne professor of criminology Bianca Fileborn conducted a 2022 study into rideshare safety in Australia.
It found although passengers felt safe “most of the time” while in a rideshare, women and gender-diverse people were more likely to experience harassment.
“It was more common for those [groups] to receive unwanted flirting or inappropriate questions, especially about their body or gender identity,” Dr Fileborn said.
“We also had a small portion of participants who experienced sexual or physical assault, the majority of whom were women or gender-diverse.”
Dr Fileborn said the research did not demonise drivers or services but highlighted passengers’ perceptions of safety.
“It was vital that we noted that [drivers] are not more likely to perpetrate violence,” she said.
“But there’s increased vulnerability when you’re in the car; you’re usually alone with a stranger, and they have complete control over the vehicle.”
Is there a need for more female drivers?
Census data shows fewer than 6 per cent of Australian rideshare drivers are women.
Rideshare Shebah only employs female drivers, and its chief executive, Sarra Stewart, said more female drivers were needed in the industry.
“We hear from many women who just aren’t comfortable getting into a car with a male driver,” she said.
“Passengers have told us how they’ve been internally locked in the car, or they’ve been overcharged and can’t afford it so they’re asked to perform sexual favours.”
Ms Stewart said more public information about a driver’s history should be available to make the industry safer.
Data from IBISWorld shows Uber has a more than 90 per cent share in the Australian rideshare market.
In a written statement, it said it did not tolerate any form of discrimination.
“We make it clear to driver-partners that this behaviour can result in them losing access to the Uber app,” it said.
It said investigations into all reports made by riders were “human-led, and always seek to ensure that users are treated fairly”.
The Transport Workers Union declined to comment.