Uber received reports on sexual assault or sexual misconduct in the United States almost every eight minutes between 2017 and 2022, according to the sealed court records that were reviewed by New York Times. This number is much higher than the company that previously revealed.
Publicly, Uber strengthened itself as one of the safest transport options, publishing safety reports and marketing campaigns that confirm that 99.9 % of American flights occur without an accident. But the newly inferior records, which are part of the large -scale litigation against the company, show that Uber has recorded 400,181 reports on sexual assault or misconduct in that five years.
In contrast, the previously released safety reports from Uber revealed 12,522 accounts on serious sexual assaults for the same period, without including the total number of accidents in all groups. Uber has publicly not released similar data since 2022, although court files indicate an increase in accident reports.
Court records indicate that Uber safety decisions have been partially formed by focusing on expanding their customer base, limiting legal exposure, and maintaining their business model, which treats drivers as independent contractors instead of employees, according to the Times. The classification reduces employment costs because the company is not required to provide interest or additional work, and limits supervision because drivers are not subject to the rules of the workplace itself like traditional employees.
“Our goal/our goal is to be the police,” read the I 2021 brainstorming document on the global safety standards for Obber, as mentioned by the Times. “Our tape is much lower and our goal is to protect the company and determine the level of acceptable risks to our operations.”
Uber said that approximately 75 % of the reports of 400,181 reports included “less serious” behavior, such as flirting, comments on appearance, or explicit language. The company added that the numbers were inverted, which means that they may contain wrong or incorrect reports. Uber said that these reports out of 6.3 billion American trips during the same period, these reports represented 0.006 % of tours, as the most dangerous attacks constitute 0.00002 %.
There is no “acceptable” level of sexual assault. She said that the company has invested in safety features such as GPS tracking, recording optional sound, and emergency button 911, with sexual assault and misconduct of drivers in the United States.
According to the court documents reviewed by the Times, the Uber Interior teams studied patterns in sexual assault cases for years. Accidents are likely to occur late at night and on weekends, often with Beck Aug near bars, and women often have victims. The perpetrators were usually men, either drivers or passengers, with previous complaints and low classifications.
Uber tested safety interventions, including the associates of the cyclists with female drivers and the development of the “Safety Risks Evaluation” algorithm to avoid high -risk matches. The company found the female conjugation to the reduced accidents, but it was late in presenting it in the United States, noting a potential violent, legal and cultural reaction, after the 2024 presidential elections. This option is now being tried in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Deterouit.
In a general statement responding to an investigation into the Times, Uber opposed suggestions that he reduced safety problems. “Safety is a basic value in Uber, and we have invested billions of dollars and countless hours to reduce safety accidents during trips,” The company saidAdding that the dangerous sexual assault reports on its platform have decreased by 44 % since it started publishing safety reports in 2019.
Uber also indicated that it was one of the first major companies to end forced arbitration in cases of sexual misconduct, a move since then thousands of lawsuits. This change in politics allowed the survivors to overcome private arbitration and provide their sexual assault, harassment, or misconduct in federal or governmental courts, making allegations and procedures part of the general registry.
Lyft also informed thousands of sexual assaults. In a statement to the New York Times, Lift said that sexual assault reports were “statistically very rare” and represented much less than 1 percent of horseback riding. The company added that it will continue to invest in technology, policies and partnerships to try to prevent and discover unsafe positions.
US government accountability office a report Last year, it was found that sexual violence is severely reported across all transportation patterns and noticed that there is no central database to track such accidents.