Sexual Assault Reports

Uber has released its highly anticipated safety report which revealed that the company received nearly 6,000 reports of sexual assault in the United States in 2017 and 2018. Sexual assault was broken down into five subcategories ranging from non-consensual kissing to rape. Regarding rape, Uber received 229 such reports in 2017 and 235 last year. A total of 5,981 sexual assaults occurred in 2017 and 2018 out of 2.3 billion trips and the ride-sharing company said that 99.9 percent of its rides concluded without incident. Despite the number of cases growing from 2,936 to 3,045, the rate of incidents actually fell 16 percent due to the increased number of journeys.

When it comes to the accused parties involved in sexual assaults, 45 percent were riders and 54 percent were drivers. By reporting parties, 56 percent were riders and 42 percent were drivers. Uber has come under scrutiny for its safety practices in recent years and it has moved to improve things. For example, last year, it added an in-app 911 calling feature before adding another called Ride Check which will activate if the driver's GPS detects an unusually long or unexpected stop. The report is significant as it sheds light on safety levels in a thriving part of America's gig economy. It is Uber's first such report and the company said it will continue to release it every two years.