The massive scale of Uber’s sexual assault problem has been revealed this morning as figures show there were near 6,000 reports over just two years in the US. The news comes after Uber lost its license to operate in London last month following safety concerns.
According to a report published by Uber, there were 5,981 reports of sexual assault over 2017 and 2018, with more than 3,000 made in 2018 alone – a year where the number of overall journeys increased.
Last year, there were 1.3 billion trips completed in the US compared to one billion in 2017. The data also shows that 45% of sexual assaults note the rider as the accused party. They also noted that sexual assault is one of the most under-reported crimes in the US, with 3 out every 4 assaults going unreported.
Ultimately then, it suggests the results are likely to be three times what was been found in this data. ‘Voluntarily publishing a report that discusses these difficult safety issues is not easy,’ Tony West, chief legal officer at Uber, told BBC. ‘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.’
Hoping to show a commitment to improving safety, the report comes after Uber lost its license to operate in London. According to Helen Chapman, director of licensing, regulation and charging at Transport for London, regulators can’t be sure Uber’s safety procedures actually work.
‘While we recognise Uber has made improvements, it is unacceptable that Uber has allowed passengers to get into minicabs with drivers who are potentially unlicensed and uninsured,’ she said in a statement. ‘It is clearly concerning that these issues arose, but it is also concerning that we cannot be confident that similar issues won't happen again in future.’
With figures like this showing an endemic problem with safety in Uber’s around the world, it doesn’t bode well for the appeal Uber plans to make in London.
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