Uber received 235 reports of rape during a ride in the US last year.
In an extensive new review, the ride-hailing company for the first time released data on sexual assault complaints lodged between 2017 and 2018.
In just two years, Uber received nearly 6,000 charges of sexual abuse—including non-consensual kissing, touching, or penetration—over the course of 2.3 billion trips.
“In other words, these incidents were reported on 0.00002 percent of trips,” the 84-page document said.
“While these reports are rare, every report represents an individual who came forward to share an intensely painful experience,” Uber backpedaled added. “Even one report is one too many.”
Among the reasons I tend to avoid peer-to-peer ridesharing:
- 594 reports of non-consensual kissing of a non-sexual body part [cheek, hands, head, shoulders] (up from 570 in 2017)
- 376 reports of non-consensual kissing of a sexual body part [breast, genitalia, mouth, buttocks] (down from 390 in 2017)
- 1,560 reports of non-consensual touching of a sexual body part (up from 1,440 in 2017)
- 280 reports of attempted non-consensual sexual penetration (down from 307 in 2017)
- 235 reports of non-consensual sexual penetration (up from 229 in 2017)
It’s important to note that not all sufferers are unsuspecting passengers: While 99.4 percent of accounts indicate the rider as a victim, 66.7 percent reveal the driver as the target.
“In the United States alone, more than 45 rides on Uber happen every second. At that scale, we are not immune to society’s most serious safety challenges, including sexual assault,” Tony West, Uver’s chief legal officer, wrote in a blog post.
“Voluntarily publishing a report that discusses these difficult safety issues is not easy,” he continued. “Most companies don’t talk about issues like sexual violence because doing so risks inviting negative headlines and public criticism.”
But Uber is no stranger to bad press. So what’s a few thousand reports of sexual violence going to do to the already-scorned company?
“Confronting sexual violence requires honesty, and it’s only by shining a light on these issues that we can begin to provide clarity on something that touches every corner of society,” West said. “And, most importantly, by bringing hard data to bear, we can make every trip safer for drivers and riders alike.”
Moving forward, Uber is committed to improving experiences by introducing a survivor support hotline and sexual misconduct education for all drivers.
It is also rolling out new technology features that allow riders to verify their chauffeur with a secure PIN code, send a text directly to 911, and report safety incidents before their trip concludes.
More on Geek.com:
- Uber Has Segregated Bathrooms for Drivers
- Uber Loses London License Over ‘Pattern of Failures’
- Uber Tests Audio Recording Safety Feature in Latin America
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