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Driver charged with rape in Boston

An Uber driver in Boston has been accused of raping a female passenger on Sunday night.

An Uber driver in Boston has been charged with rape, according to a report by Bloomberg.

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The driver allegedly picked up a female passenger on the evening of December 6, 2014, asked her to get cash out of an ATM, and took her to a secluded area where he beat and raped her.

Police Commissioner, Robert Haas, and Middlesex County District Attorney, Marian Ryan, have identified the suspect as Alejandro Done, 46, through Uber records. The statement given by the police says that Uber cooperated and aided police in the investigation of this incident.

Bloomberg also reports that it is unclear whether or not Done used Uber to specifically target the victim, though it is confirmed that Done is an Uber contractor and was using the service at the time of the incident.

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It has also been confirmed that Done passed the background check on the local, state and federal level that Uber requires of its drivers.

In a statement to TechCrunch, Uber said: "This is a despicable crime and our thoughts and prayers are with the victim during her recovery. Uber has been working closely with law enforcement and will continue to do everything we can to assist their investigation."

Sadly, this is not the only recent rape allegation made against an Uber driver in Boston this month. The Boston Globe reports that at least two of three women who were assaulted Sunday night in Boston believe their attacker was an Uber driver.

Uber also faced a case of rape earlier this month in New Delhi, India, where the service was banned. Then, a number of markets brought down the hammer for various issues with ride-sharing, holding up the service in the Netherlands, Portland, France, and Brussels. Even in the company's home city of San Francisco, Uber was hit with a civil suit for making "misleading statements" and other unlawful activity.

There was also a case of the UberX driver who hit his passenger over the head with a hammer, and the Uber driver who struck and killed a young girl in San Francisco. The company denied responsibility, but the driver was charged this month.

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Uber however, promised yesterday that it would be using more advanced technology and stringent processes to evaluate and hire their contractor drivers.

However, Uber's Terms of Service remain the same, stating that the company takes no responsibility over the behaviour or actions of the driver during the ride. Choosing a safe, sane driver is up to you, the passenger. This is because Uber is a logistics provider, a matcher of passenger and driver, and not a transportation company.

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