Police charge Uber driver with sex assault after Markham incident

York Regional Police say they have charged a 30-year-old Uber driver with sexual assault after an incident in Markham early Tuesday.

Police say a woman, 34, arranged for an Uber car from the area near Yonge Street and Major Mackenzie Drive in Richmond Hill, Ont. shortly after 12 a.m.

The driver, a man, allegedly picked up the victim, drove her to a parking lot near 16th Avenue and Woodbine Avenue in Markham and sexually assaulted her.

The accusedwas scheduledto appear in court in Newmarket, Ont. Wednesdayfor a bail hearing.

Susie Heath, spokesperson for Uber Canada, said the companyhas been co-operating with police in the investigation.

"We take every safety incident very seriously and are committed to the safety of everyone who usesUber," she said.

"Upon hearing of this disturbing incident, we immediately removed the driver from the platform and contacted York Regional Police to offer our assistance and have supported them in their investigation."

Heath said Uber'ssafety response team is trained to deal with "critical safety issues" and said they will work with law enforcement agencies if necessary.

She said when Uberresponds to incidents, it is able todeactivate specificaccounts, preventing certain drivers orridersfrom accessing the platform until the investigation is complete.

Heathsaid the companyalso takes stepsto ensure safety before, during and after rides.

She said that means they giveinformation to riders about their driver, trackall trips from beginning to end using GPS, andenableriders to share their estimated time of arrivaland routes.

Anyone with information is asked to call the York Regional Police Special Victims Unit sexual assault section at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7071.