Uber says it received 6,000 reports of sexual assault over two-year period in United States
Uber has revealed it received almost 6,000 reports of sexual assault in the United States in 2017 and 2018.
It said that although there had been more cases in 2018, the incidence had dropped by 16 per cent due to there being more trips undertaken.
The ride-hailing firm has come under increased scrutiny of late and recently lost its licence to operate in London.
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The data was published in a report that Uber said showed it is committed to “improving safety for Uber and the entire industry”.
It added that 99.9 per cent of the 2.3bn journeys made over the two years in the US had occurred without safety issues.
It also noted that nearly half of the 5,981 reports of sexual assault involved the allegations being made against a passenger, rather than the driver.
“Voluntarily publishing a report that discusses these difficult safety issues is not easy,” said Tony West, chief legal officer at Uber.
“Most companies don’t talk about issues like sexual violence because doing so risks inviting negative headlines and public criticism. But we feel it’s time for a new approach.”
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The firm said it is the first comprehensive study that Uber has undertaken into safety.
At present, there are no plans to undertake such analysis of non-US markets, however.
Head of US National Sexual Violence Resource Center, Karen Baker, said it “provides an opportunity to shed light on how this information-sharing emboldens our work for a safer future”.