Uber driver allegedly 'shoves' 5yo, takes off with an iPad - police called in

Carlo with his mother Anna Jobsz. Photo / Supplied

An Auckland Uber driver shoved a five-year-old boy and drove off with his iPad, his mother claims.

Anna Jobsz was travelling with her son Carlo in an Uber headed for Tepid Baths when she partially wound down the window to let more air in the car.

The driver then told them if they wanted to do that they would need to get another Uber, Jobsz said, which they agreed to do, stopping in St Marys Bay.

Her son was trailing after her outside the car, about a foot behind her on New St, when she heard him scream.

Jobsz said the Uber driver had given Carlo a hard push, before driving off with her son's tablet device.

She told the Herald the shove left her son in tears.

She tried to hit the back of the car to make the driver stop to no avail.

Jobsz said the tablet contained precious, irreplaceable photos of Carlo growing up.

After the incident they were both feeling "really shaky", she said.

She reported what happened to both Uber and the police.

Jobsz later posted a huge thank you to those who had helped on Facebook, adding that through the power of social media they had located the tablet.

Police confirmed they received a report in relation to an incident involving a driver of a commercial vehicle in St Marys Bay, Auckland.

"Police are currently speaking with the victim to ascertain what exactly has occurred."

An Uber spokesman said Uber drivers undergo a number of screening processes in accordance with the regulatory framework, including a criminal record check, before being able to drive via the app.

"Safety does not begin and end with a background check - our technology makes it possible to focus on safety for riders and drivers before, during, and after every trip on the Uber platform," he said.

"While no form of transportation is 100 per cent free of incidents, we are committed to doing our part and promoting safe use of our app. Feedback is one way we can learn about potential issues in real time."

If a rider feels a driver acted inappropriately they were encouraged to use the in-app help option as there was a 24/7 support team which monitored the feedback of trips, he said.

"We also have a team of former law enforcement professionals who are on call to work with police at anytime, respond to urgent issues and help assist during an investigation."

It is Uber practice when it received a report like this to remove the driver's access to the app while the matter was looked into.