Ride-share customers stay 'aware' after learning that driver took Virginia woman on joyride

BALTIMORE - Ride-share customers tell WJZ they are becoming more cautious when it comes to finding a driver.

This comes after a Virginia woman said her Lyft ride took a terrifying turn after her driver entered a different destination.

Katlyn Skye was looking for a ride to a party in Washington D.C. last Saturday, so she ordered a Lyft.

The driver picked her up and then put in a different destination in his GPS, Skye said.

She said she had to jump out of the moving car.

People told WJZ they can relate

Some people told WJZ that hearing those stories worries them about the next time they have to order a ride.

"A reminder to be conscious and aware," said Baltimore resident Callie Simon.

Skye, 29, said the ride-share experience left her traumatized.

"My heart was like in my stomach, just racing," she said. "We are going in the entirely wrong direction now. I am supposed to be going left. He is going right."

A few wrong turns led her in the opposite direction of her destination.

About 30 minutes in, Skye said she got a text from Lyft saying she was headed in the wrong direction.

Skye said the driver put in a different destination in his GPS and refused to answer her questions when she asked where they were headed.

"I decided to take it upon myself to jump out at that moment," Skye said.

She said she reported the incident to Lyft but the company responded by deactivating her account, citing safety violations from jumping out of a moving vehicle.

After protesting, her account was restored. However, by then, her story had already gone viral.

"I commend her for paying attention and noticing something was going wrong," Baltimore resident Yolanda Howard said.

WJZ has been following the trend of crimes involving ride-share drivers and ride-share customers which spiked towards the end of 2022.

Callie Simon said she relies on Lyft to get around Baltimore. She makes

sure she's always vigilant when in the car.

"I definitely follow along on my app to make sure we're going semi in the right direction," Simon said.

A spokesperson for Lyft said they take reports like this seriously and that, regrettably, their first response came up short.