Uber Sexual Assault Reports Topped 3,000 Last Year

As part of an effort to provide transparency about problems with sexual assault, Uber indicates that it received more than 3,000 reports of abuse, harassment or other incidents last year, with reports being made by drivers at about the same rate as passengers.

Uber released the numbers, as well as numerous other safety statistics, in a safety report (PDF) published on December 5.

According to the findings, there have been about six thousand reports of sexual assault over the last two years, over the course of about 1.3 billion rides. However, the company noted that rates fell 16% from 2017 in the five most serious categories of sexual assault reported.

While the company indicates that drivers reported assaults at about the same rate as riders, drivers were accused of committing 92% of the most serious offense; rape.

There were 235 reports of rape involving Uber rides last year, and 229 incidents were reported in 2017. However, the overall rate still declined, as the number of Uber rides commissioned nationwide continued to grow.

The report comes as the company, and its main competitor, Lyft, face increasing scrutiny over claims of sexual assault, unsafe and sometimes criminal drivers, and a lack of adequate safety culture. However, in the report, Uber refutes that viewpoint of the company.

“Uber does not tolerate sexual assault or misconduct from anyone, anywhere, at any time,” the report states. “We take all allegations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct extremely seriously and work to take action quickly and fairly.”

The report comes out just a few weeks after London revoked its license to carry passengers due to safety and security deficiencies.

In addition,  a number of Uber sexual assault lawsuits have been filed by passengers in the U.S. who say they were sexually assaulted during rides, and claim the company fails to perform adequate background checks on drivers.

The company highlighted a number of additional features it has added over the past two years to improve safety for passengers, including an in-app emergency button, an automated ridecheck system, the ability to share the status of their ride with friends and family, speeding alerts for drivers, real-time ID checks for drivers and other technology.