PEOPLE have used Facebook to successfully find long lost friends and family members, now one single mum is using the medium to find the person who smashed her car and stole her livelihood.
Uber Mum Debbie Stewart’s only income comes from her job as a part-time driver for the company.
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READ NOWOn Anzac Day someone smashed into her rear door and drove off without leaving a note or phone number.
With her car damaged to the point where she can’t ferry passengers her Uber income has been taken away.
Worst of all, Ms Stewart moved here from Cambridge, New Zealand and doesn’t qualify for a single parent pension.
“I was thinking how am I going to spread the word and thought it should definitely have its own Facebook page,” she said.
“I did an email drop and a flyer drop on our local street and asked if anyone had CCTV footage.”
This has narrowed the time of the damage to between 6am and 10am.
“I’ve only had the car for a few weeks,” Ms Stewart said.
“It’s rent to own so the insurance company were checking it out and said they would go ahead with the repairs.”
“Because I’m a single mum I’ve been driving for Uber for 16 months,” she said.
“It’s been great because it’s so flexible; I drive while my daughter is at her dad’s.
“I should be driving this weekend. So things will be tight for the next few weeks.”
Ms Stewart said if she was able to talk to the person who hit her car she’d tell them “I’m a bit disappointed”.
“I’ve kind of moved past the angry point,” she said.
“I’m not mean, but I wish they knew this has been a tough year and this is the icing on the cake.
“When I saw the damage I cried.”
Ms Stewart’s eight-year-old daughter asked “how can I help you mum?”
“She asked where are we going to get the money to fix that?” Ms Stewart said.
“I always see posts on social media about people helping other New Zealanders and thought, maybe someone can help me?”
Ms Stewart said when things were going better for her, she was thinking about starting a charity for other single parents who might need help.
“Now I’ll be my first project,” she said.
Ms Stewart is known as the Uber Mum on Facebook and is popular with her clients – her page has 21 five star reviews.
She is hoping that people who saw the car crash can make a report or can donate to a Go Fund Me to get her car fixed.
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