Uber Receives 3,045 Cases of Sexual Assault in U.S. in Year 2018

Ride-hailing giant Uber has released its first safety review which contains thousands of sexual assault reports. The company has also revealed the changes it was making to make rides safer for its passengers and drivers.

The two-year safety review contains almost 2,936 reports pertaining to sexual assault that Uber received in 2017 and 3,045 it received in 2018.

Notably, the cab aggregator categorises sexual assaults into five subcategories, which are non-consensual kissing of a non-sexual body part, non-consenual touching of a sexual body part, attempted non-consensual sexual penetration, non-consensual kissing of a sexual body part and non-consensual sexual penetration.

In the last sub category, which is rape, the cab hailing major received 229 reports of rape in 2017 and 235 reports of rape in 2018. Throughout 2017 and 2018, the reported incidents occurred on 0.00002% of trips, according to the 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," Tony West, Uber's Chief Legal Officer, said in the review.

"And, most importantly, by bringing hard data to bear, we can make every trip safer for drivers and riders alike."

The ride hailing major long been under fire for its safety practices.

In its response to making rides safer for its passengers, Uber mentioned developments like its "in-app safety button".

"We're rolling out new features that allow riders to verify their driver with a secure PIN code, send a text message directly to 911 operators, and report safety incidents to Uber even before their trip is over," the company said.

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In 2020, the cab aggregator will expand sexual misconduct and assault education to all the US drivers.

"We are partnering with RAINN, the nation's largest sexual violence organisation, to design and implement this programme," Uber added. (IANS)