I kind of agree, but Matchpool might be (at least) an equally sound option for those kinds of connections. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a big fan of Uber, especially after listening to this episode of the Dollop podcast about the company. I'd love to see some decentralised competition and think it could be great.

But personal safety/security etc for drivers and riders needs to be one of the primary considerations of the tech itself. Not a "Oh the guy that created the Hashtag #NeedaRide, Username xxX420NoScopeXxx Will be responsible for the injuries you sustained as a result of your drunk driver" etc. Sounds like the whole project could be destroyed by a single incident like this.

So I take that as pretty much use this at your own risk.

You're right about that :)
It's a shame and I hope they address these issues as the development progresses.

Edit Also despite my little rant, thanks for asking questions and providing easily accessible info for everyone. I appreciate it as do many others.