On Sunday, February 16, 2020, an Allston woman told Boston police a man claiming to be her rideshare driver drove off route toward the New Hampshire border.

According to the Boston Globe, the unidentified woman was out with friends at Paddy O’s on Union Street near Faneuil Hall when she ordered a Lyft shortly before 1 a.m. Her cellphone battery died after she ordered the ride, but a group of men pointed her toward a silver or tan sedan. While Lyft confirmed she summoned a car, it’s unclear as to whether the abductor was her assigned driver.

While Uber has always operated through their app, they’ve rolled out a new toll-free number in Arizona that people can use to book a car without needing a smartphone.

According to a news article from CNN, passengers looking for a ride can call 1-833-USE-UBER. There, they’ll reach an Uber contractor who will book a ride for them through the app. Customers can book a number of options, including Uber X, Uber Black, and Uber Comfort. The passenger will receive a price quote, driver details, expected arrival time, and receipts via text message.

In places like Chicago, Boston, Austin, Nashville, Philadelphia, and D.C., Uber passengers now have the option of bringing their pets along for the rides they order. Uber Pet is a new feature under the app’s “Choose a Ride” option. Riders are matched with a pet-friendly driver.

In addition to a $4 to $6 surcharge, which depends on the city, riders can be charged a cleaning fee for excessive pet hair, damage, or waste. While there are no breed or size restrictions, Uber Pet is limited to one animal per trip. Drivers have the option of opting out of providing this service. If a driver opts in, they are allowed to decline a ride with a pet for any reason.

A couple in Richmond, Virginia live-streamed their Uber ride on Facebook as their driver was speeding through the streets of the city in an attempt to catch another car that rear-ended them.

John Murray and Tameka Swann were picked up from their home on the city’s Northside around 8 p.m. on February 10, 2020. Shortly after their driver pulled away from the curb, the vehicle was rear-ended on Chamberlayne Avenue. According to Swann, the Uber driver pulled over to exchange information, but the other driver quickly went around them and sped off. That’s when the Uber driver began to chase after the hit-and-run driver.

In 2018, an autonomous Uber vehicle was involved in a fatal crash in Arizona. At the time, the company’s self-driving cars were being tested in Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Toronto. After the incident, Uber scaled back its self-driving car operation because state officials in California forced the program to shut down until safety standards could be developed.

In 2019, prosecutors ruled Uber was not criminally liable for the fatal crash. Since then, the self-driving program has undergone an overhaul. While operations resumed in Pittsburgh in 2018, autonomous cars are just now being brought back to the West Coast. Plans to conduct autonomous vehicle tests in San Francisco are in motion, as Uber was issued a permit to test the cars in California.