A Vancouver man is speaking out, after alleging he was assaulted by an Uber Eats delivery person riding an electric bicycle on the sidewalk.
Trevor Kramer said he was walking down Mainland Street in Yaletown Thursday with his husband when an Uber Eats delivery person left a restaurant, got on his bike and rode past him.
“I actually had to move out of its way. As it passed, I said to the driver of the bicycle he shouldn’t be riding his bike on a sidewalk. It’s a pedestrian area,” he said.
“He got off his bicycle, came right up in my face and violently shoved me, almost shoved me onto the ground. Then he got back on his bicycle, at which point I took his picture, and he rode away.”
Kramer said he spoke with the restaurant manager to confirm the cyclist was a delivery person. He subsequently reported the incident to Vancouver police.
Kramer said police pledged to take the report seriously, and put it in the context of the recent spike in so-called “stranger attacks” in the city.
The Vancouver Police Department confirms it’s investigating.
In a statement Saturday, a spokesperson for Uber said the delivery person had been suspended from its network while it looked into the incident.
“We do not tolerate violence on the Uber platform, and the delivery person’s reported actions are unacceptable,” the spokesperson said.
“He no longer has access to the Uber app, and we are standing ready to assist law enforcement with their investigation.”
The company expects all of its users to both follow the law and the rules of the road, it added.
Kramer was physically unhurt, but he said the incident left him shaken and he’s thankful the outcome wasn’t worse.
“It’s only by chance, because I was pushed quite violently. You hear about people who get pushed in altercations hitting their heads and having serious outcomes or even dying, so it’s no joke,” he said.
He added he would like to see stricter rules from delivery companies and more enforcement from police against people riding e-bikes and e-scooters on the sidewalk.
“I’ve seen many, many close calls of e-scooters and bicycles almost hitting pedestrians. I’ve had that happen to me many times,” he said.
“These vehicles are capable of pretty high speeds, and sidewalks are not intended to be pathways for fast motorized vehicles … these guys are just zipping around like there are no pedestrians.”