Uber driver abandoned teen in B.C. parking lot, family says

A Vancouver mom says she wants Uber to hold one of its drivers accountable for leaving her 14-year-old daughter in a Burnaby parking lot.

Brenna Ricci regularly uses Uber to take her teenage daughters from school to their dance classes, which they take in different locations, more than 20 minutes apart.

On Tuesday, the Uber driver picked up the two girls from their school in Burnaby and drove them to his 13-year-old daughter’s class at Dance Collective on Lougheed Hwy.

“This time he dropped off the first child and then decided to call me and tell me he wasn’t going to drop off my second child,” Ricci told CTV News.

While her little sister was already inside and taking her class, 14-year-old Elia Ricci began to panic.

“I was a little panicked because my phone died. I can’t call anyone, I can’t book my own Uber now,” Elia said.

She was a 20-minute drive from her dance studio Dancin’ Stars and more than half an hour from home.

“I called my other daughter, who was already in her dance studio, in a panic, and I kept calling her until she picked up. I took her out of the dance studio by running in her ballet uniform, frantically looking for her sister,” Brenna says.

Fortunately, she was able to communicate and connect the two teenagers.

The whole ordeal left the family shaken and worried about using Uber again.

“I was freaked out and freaked out and really scared,” Elia said.

Brenna said she contacted Uber three times for answers about what possible repercussions the driver would face. She says the company has been vague.

“I’m not really hopeful that there will be a proper resolution in the time frame that I want,” Brenna said. “I would like to see this rectified as soon as possible so this doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

Uber told CTV News it is looking into the matter and contacting the driver to understand what happened.