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Underage girls take Uber ride from Surprise to Phoenix

Posted at 10:47 PM, Sep 04, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-05 09:51:06-04

“I thought her father had maybe had a conversation with her before and she was spending the night with a friend,” said Tesla Collins.

That is until Collins found out the truth about her 14-year-old stepdaughter's night.

That truth was that she and a friend snuck out of the house on Sunday and decided they’d call an Uber to get them across town.

“Just to think any child can, any child, your child, that’s scary,” said Collins. 

Scary because according to UBER policy, anyone under the age of 18 is prohibited from using their services.
But that didn’t stop the teens from catching a ride from their home in Surprise. 

“The initial pickup was outside the house around 12:45 a.m., they were then dropped off on a corner at 35th and Glendale avenues,” said Collins. 

While she’s furious at the girls and doesn’t excuse their actions, she also doesn’t understand why the driver didn’t question their age.

“There’s no mistaking that these were underage girls,” said Collins. 

But, ABC15 found out, setting up an account is quite easy and doesn’t even require age verification, just that you're not a robot. 

“They need to be checking IDs,” said Tony Ponte. 

Tony, the girl's father says she’s grounded and will definitely pay for her mistake, but he’d also like to see Uber tighten their restrictions when it comes to teens.

“I just want a reaction from Uber more than anybody,” said Ponte.

ABC15 got that reaction from Uber who said the girls violated their terms of agreement by signing up for the account and ordering the ride. They’ve since banned the girls account and will take appropriate action with the driver who picked them up.