Woman says Uber driver abandoned her 75 miles from home on Christmas

LAKE HAVASI, Ariz., Dec. 28 (UPI) -- An Arizona woman who called an Uber to take her home from a Las Vegas hospital said the driver abandoned her 75 miles from home when he lost phone signal.

Holly Tennant of Lake Havasi said she had complications from undergoing numerous surgeries in recent weeks, including a lap band removal. The closest hospital that could treat her during the holidays was Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center in Las Vegas, more than 150 miles away from home.

Tennant said an ambulance took her to the hospital, and she decided to call an Uber for a ride home when she was released two days later on Christmas Day. She said her husband couldn't pick her up because he was caring for her 94-year-old mother and the couple's autistic 11-year-old son.

"Just seemed like the logical thing. I could lay down and someone else would drive," Tennant told KSNV-TV.

Tennant said she fell asleep in the back of the Uber driver's Dodge truck and awoke at the Chevron gas station in Palm Gardens, Nev. -- 75 miles from Las Vegas, and 75 miles from Lake Havasu.

She said the driver told her he wouldn't drive any farther because his cellphone had lost signal, so his Uber app wasn't functioning.

"He said, 'I am not going to take you further. If my phone doesn't work, I am not getting paid,'" Tennant said.

She said the driver gave her a choice: Get out at the gas station, or ride with him back to Las Vegas.

Tennant decided to get out and soon discovered she couldn't order another Uber because her phone also lacked signal in Palm Gardens.

She said her husband was able to pick her up about two hours later.

An Uber representative said the driver and rider agree on distance and location at the start of the ride, and the agreement is meant to be kept.

"We are saddened to have learned the details described about this rider's experience as she attempted to travel home to be with her family for the holidays. Riders who use Uber expect reliable, high-quality service from their drivers. We're disappointed when an experience does not meet that standard, and we're working to resolve it," the representative said.

Tennant's driver may not have been willing to go the extra mile -- or miles -- to meet her satisfaction, but one Virginia Uber driver showed her willingness to follow through on the job when she took a woman 397 miles from Williamsburg, Va., to New York's Brooklyn borough.

A popular Uber blog suggested Janis Rogers' accomplishment could be a record for the ride-sharing service, but another driver said they recently made a 1,417-mile journey in 48 hours.