seniorspectrumnewspaper – Between 2017 and 2022, Uber logged 400,181 reports of sexual assault or misconduct in the US. This averages to roughly one report every eight minutes. The New York Times revealed these figures from sealed documents tied to ongoing sexual assault litigation against the company. Publicly, Uber only disclosed 12,522 serious sexual assault cases during the same period, a much smaller number.
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The reports come from internal documents, interviews with current and former Uber employees, and sealed court records. Hanna Nilles, Uber’s US head of safety, acknowledged that about 75% of these reports were less severe. These included inappropriate comments about passengers, flirting, or explicit language. Uber also noted that the reports had not been fully audited and may contain inaccurate or fraudulent claims submitted by passengers.
Despite this, the scale of reports raises serious questions about passenger safety. Uber’s marketing has promoted the platform as a safe travel choice, citing the rarity of assaults. However, the new information reveals that many assaults and misconduct incidents were either underreported or mishandled internally.
Uber’s Response and Safety Concerns
The New York Times investigation found Uber failed to adopt several safety measures that might have reduced assaults. For example, Uber did not implement female driver-female passenger matching systems or sophisticated algorithms that could flag high-risk situations. These decisions appeared driven by business concerns rather than passenger safety.
Some drivers with documented histories of inappropriate behavior remained active on the platform and continued to assault passengers. The company also rejected adding cameras inside vehicles, fearing the impact on its contractor-based driver model. Additionally, Uber stopped plans to pair female drivers with female passengers, worried it could trigger cultural backlash.
Internal discussions revealed concerns about potential legal liabilities and negative media attention if these safety measures were widely implemented. Uber prioritized maintaining its flexible business model and rapid growth over adopting stricter security protocols. This approach led to criticism from safety advocates and lawmakers demanding greater accountability and passenger protections.
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Uber maintains that 99.9% of US rides occur without incident, emphasizing the millions of rides completed daily. Still, the company’s failure to address known risks and the scale of misconduct reports have damaged its reputation. The report highlights a culture that prioritized growth over safety, sparking further calls for accountability and reform within the ride-hailing giant. Looking ahead, Uber faces pressure to improve transparency, implement stricter safety protocols, and better protect passengers to regain public trust.
