Uber facing backlash after release of sexual assault misconduct.
Uber, one of the leading rideshare services and a recommended safety tool, is facing backlash after the release of disturbing information.
Beneath claims of security – a means to eliminate drunk driving and the security of knowing that a driver has been screened – lies a far more sinister reality. In previously hidden court documents, it has been revealed that between 2017 and 2022, Uber received a report of sexual assault or sexual misconduct almost every 8 minutes on average in the United States.
Publicly, Uber minimized this statistic to just 12,522 instances – far less than the 400,181 reports proven by recent findings. When met with complaints, the company attempted numerous solutions, including “matching algorithms,” video surveillance, and pairing female passengers with female drivers.
Even still, Uber did not warn customers about dangers experienced by their fellow passengers. Millions of people use the app to travel each day. The company has frequently stated that 99.9% of its trips in the United States “occur without an incident of any kind.” Still, because Uber operates at such a large scale, even a fraction of a percent can translate into multiple attacks.
Now, a massive sexual assault litigation against Uber is underway. With internal documents available for the first time, current and former employees are being interviewed – many acknowledge that sexual misconduct of any kind is presumably underreported. Users fear for their safety for a number of reasons, including the knowledge that their driver has their home address. Many riders utilize Uber when intoxicated, and data shows these passengers are “especially vulnerable.”
Uber's choice to classify drivers as independent contractors rather than employees is a calculated distinction: the company is not obligated to supervise them or hold them to the same labor rules as traditional employees. This means that mandatory training opportunities for drivers are limited, and they are not required to install cameras in their vehicles.
"Our purpose/goal is not to be the police," stated a 2021 brainstorming document about Uber's global safety standards. Instead, their focus is “to protect the company and set the tolerable risk level for operations."
Several “safety tools” were in place when a Houston woman reported that she was raped by her Uber driver in 2023. She stated that she had been “intoxicated and woke up in a motel with the driver,” who then fled the scene. Uber banned the driver after the incident.
Still, an internal investigation uncovered a troubling pattern of facts. Before this ride, the driver had received two previous accusations of sexual misconduct. The woman’s 22-minute ride lasted about five hours, and three of the app’s automated attempts to contact her were not answered.
In recent documents, it has been revealed that Uber executives decided to exclude crucial information about patterns that could lead to sexual assault. One finding stated that revealing these trends could have "serious business implications," including "less users in high peak times.”
Uber has called the mounting lawsuits "a legally baseless attempt" to hold the company accountable for "the extremely rare and unforeseeable criminal acts of independent drivers.” In some instances, Uber has sued drivers accused of misconduct, stating that this behavior violates drivers’ agreements with the company.
While Uber has settled multiple claims, the company has also questioned the reality of many riders. In a recent filing, the rideshare app states that “some plaintiffs failed to provide receipts for the rides in question.”
This litigation is ongoing, and the first trials are scheduled to begin in December.
Authors: Andy Goldwasser and Alexis Kabat
