"I considered it protection": Lyft driver terminated for possessing stun gun

BALTIMORE — Amid a rise in crimes targeting people who use rideshare apps, a former Lyft driver alleges the company permanently deactivated her account after carrying a stun gun in the car for protection.

Back on Dec. 9, Anita Smith of Baltimore stated a passenger saw the purple stun gun and made a report to Lyft after being dropped off. 

"I considered it protection. They considered it a weapon," said Smith. "No mace, no stun gun, no weapons at all, according to the email they sent me."

Smith said, as a former school bus driver, she drove for Lyft during the summer months over the last 4 years. But after recently leaving the job in Baltimore County, driving for the rideshare company became a fulltime job 6 months ago. 

In part due to recent reports of Baltimore Police investigating an uptick in carjackings and robberies targeting drivers and passengers using rideshare apps, Smith said she wanted protection and unknowingly violated the company's weapons policy.

"Financially it's a strain, so now I'm in the process of trying to find employment," Smith explained. 

Both Lyft and Uber offer in-app safety measures for drivers and passengers. 

According to Lyft, if a driver feels unsafe, that person can connect with an ADT security professional. ADT will then alert law enforcement of the driver's location and details about the vehicle. 

If a driver signals for help but does not respond to a call or text from ADT, the security company will then contact 911. 

Other Lyft options include "silent escalation". The feature can be triggered as the name suggests, silently, allowing drivers to request help without having to say a word.

Some passengers said those features could be helpful but may not be enough to allow drivers to feel safe while working. 

"They have to have something to protect themselves. We live in Baltimore," said Herb Hopkins. 

Others stated non-lethal weapons should be permitted. 

"Not guns or anything like that but mace, tasers that way if somebody come up to them and threaten them, they can tase them or mace them and be able to get away," said Corinne Savage. 

The former Lyft driver said these types of policy changes should be considered for current drivers.

"I think we should be able to protect ourselves when we are on their platform," said Smith. "I think that they really need to rethink their policies."

In a statement, a Lyft spokesperson explained each robbery and carjacking incident involving their app reported to law enforcement is being investigated: 

"Safety is fundamental to Lyft, and the incidents described are deeply troubling. We have reached out to each of the impacted drivers to offer our support and have been in touch with law enforcement to assist with their investigation. These crimes are absolutely unacceptable and we're committed to doing what we can to keep drivers safe."