HOUSTON – On Nov. 8, Channel 2 Investigates exposed ride-sharing vehicles on the road that are under a safety recall.
After watching the investigative report, Uber driver Jennifer McGovern says she felt compelled to reach out for one reason: “Because there (are) other safety issues besides vehicle recalls. It's the condition of the vehicles that are picking up the passengers that may not be in a recall list but there is visual damage done to the vehicle or mechanical damage.”
When asked if she thinks the general public truly understands the safety of the Uber vehicle they are about to get into? She quickly responded, “No I don't think so."
McGovern is so concerned about the condition of Uber vehicles that she started a blog about it called i-Uber Houston.
She says she has seen it all, from bald tires to cracked windshields, while also admitting she gets “a lot of my information, pictures and comments from other drivers from the Facebook groups."
In fact, her last post was titled “A ride to die.”
McGovern admits she is not only frustrated over the changes in minimum requirements for ride-shares adding they should be mandatory.
“We need to have vehicle checks, vehicle maintenance checks," she said.
She is frustrated that Uber now allows vehicles up to 15 years old on the roads in Texas, “When they put that out there, there are drivers going, well let me go find a 100k-mile car and I'll do Uber with it.”
McGovern said there are more ride-share drivers than ever in the Houston -- approximately 65,000 compared with only 10,000 a few years ago. She is now worried that maintenance has become secondary to generating income. “I don't see how drivers, if they do Uber full time, keep up with the maintenance on the cars," she said.
Channel 2 Investigates contacted Uber to ask if other states allow vehicles as old as 15 years old on the roads. A company spokesperson did not answer the inquiry but did say, "We follow all state and local laws. Additionally, we provide resources and encourage partners to check their vehicles for any recalls as well as have routine maintenance done on their cars."