Family of murdered Afghan Uber driver and former Army translator calls on company for support

Ride-sharing drivers across the country have been attacked and carjacked

The family of an Uber driver who was shot and killed in late November is demanding the ride-hailing giant step in to support his family, which includes his wife and three young children.

Ahmad Fawad Yusufi, 31, was killed on 28 November, while taking a rest between drives in San Francisco. Though based in Sacramento, he would often drive the nearly 100 miles into San Francisco to pick up more riders, sleeping in his car between shifts. Mr Yusufi worked as a translator for the US Army in Afghanistan before fleeing the country in 2017, according to his family.

"He was a caring man. He was caring about his family. He sacrificed his life for his family," his wife Kamala told KCRA in December. "It’s very tough for them as well because they are always asking for their father.” The family has asked Uber for $4 million in assistance. Uber said in a statement it is “saddened by this senseless act of violence that took Mr Yusufi’s life” and said, “Our hearts go out to his family during this difficult time.”It noted, however, his last trip was the day before the killing, and he was not driving for Uber or online during the shooting, which Mr Yusufi’s family said occurred during a botched robbery.

Ahmad Fawad (GoFundMe)

Ahmad’s brother, Mohammed, said the family still needs support, as Ahmad was the only breadwinner and his wife Kamala doesn’t speak English.

“They said he is not working for Uber,” he told The Hill. “You go from Sacramento to work in San Francisco. If you get a break for a few seconds it does not mean he is not working or is off the job.”

Police are still investigating the killing.A GoFundMe for the family has raised more than $50,000.

Ride-share drivers, many of them immigrants, have faced violence across the country while on the job. At least 10 Uber drivers have been killed since 2016, and an analysis from The Markup found that delivery and ride-share drivers have been carjacked 124 times in the last year-and-a-half, leading to 11 deaths.

In 2020, California voters approved Proposition 22, a ballot initiative that allowed ride-sharing companies to continue classifying their workers as independent contractors rather than full employees, promising some wage protections and benefits in exchange.

Uber, Lyft, Doordash, and Instacart, among others, put $220 million into backing the campaign.

Since it was implemented, many drivers say they still haven’t gotten the full benefits they were promised, and a judge struck down the proposition as unconstitutional in August, which ride-hailing companies plan to appeal.