An Uber driver who was left traumatised after a gun blast to his front window missed him by centimetres has warned of the dangers of driving in London and called for more support for cabbies on the capital’s roads.
Safdar Khan was making a drop off in Hendon, north west London when his passenger was ambushed by a gang with two gun shoots fired at his front and passenger side window.
Cornered in a dead end, Mr Khan managed to duck and speed off into the night despite glass shattering directly into his eyes in the surprise attack.
The 49-year-old told The Independent: “These guys were hiding in wait and popped out. It felt wrong my passenger told me to step on it. I had to try and turn on my car while they were getting closer.
“It was so scary. All of a sudden it was ‘bang, bang’ they were just five feet away.
“It could only have been from a shotgun. There were lots of pellets sprayed. The glass shattered all over me.”
Mr Khan’s customer, claiming to be from Birmingham, who had been talking to a friend through the window before the attack “stayed calm” and urged him not to call police.
When Mr Khan insisted the customer apologised for the shooting in the early hours of 13 November and thanked him for getting them away without being killed.
The Uber driver, who also moonlights as a security guard, called for more support from Uber who turned down his insurance claim for speaking therapy after a doctor diagnosed him with anxiety and depression following the attack.
He was back driving for the £115billion dollar company in just days.
The driver, who has worked for Uber since 2018, paid £300 out of his own pocket to fix the windscreen.
He added: “It is not safe to drive in London. My kids don’t go to sleep knowing that I’m out there working in the night- but I have to. I was completely shaken afterwards.
“I only got one call from Uber to say they are sorry and a specialist team would be in contact. They rang me and said they were sorry for whatever happened and all they said they would make sure in future this customer couldn’t pair up with me - but I can do that myself!”
He said his wife has given him no-go zones in London after the shooting forcing him to stay in central London but he is now struggling to make ends meet.
“We never know how many people are going to get in or what they look like”, he added.
“If they try to do some harm the only thing we can do is jump out and run away.
“If you are in the city or outside they can do whatever they want. You have to go out to make money so I have no choice. I have no confidence the areas are safe.”
After being contacted by The Independent an Uber spokesperson said they had been in touch with the driver and offered him a gesture of goodwill.
The spokesperson said:“Everyone at Uber was deeply shocked and concerned by this appalling incident. The safety of drivers is a top priority and we are continuing to investigate the matter, as are the police.
“We are in ongoing communication with Mr Khan via our Urgent Safety Response Team, and Uber has agreed to provide financial support to assist his recovery and wellbeing.”
A Scotland Yard spokesman confirmed the shooting in Stratford Road car park on Wednesday, 13 November.
He said: “Two men, aged 18 and 20, alleged they were shot at by two suspects while speaking to another man in a parked vehicle. The suspects then fled the scene.
“Officers attended and provided care to the driver of the vehicle, a 49-year-old man, who was taken to hospital a short time later.
“His injuries were assessed as neither life-changing nor life-threatening.
“The vehicle was also damaged.
“The two men aged 18 and 20 were not injured.
“No arrests have been made at this stage of the investigation. Enquiries are ongoing.”
