Uber receives 6000 sexual assault claims in US over two years: Report

Uber has reportedly received 6000 complaints of sexual assault, including more than 450 cases of rape, in the United States between 2017 and 2018 as per a report on safety released by the ride-sharing multi-national service provider on December 5. About 3,045 sexual assaults occurred in 2018, the reports also include 19 fatal assaults.

The number of reports went up in three of the five categories, including non-consensual sexual penetration and non-consensual touching of a sexual body part. Uber's report is a first-time release based on assaults following growing pressure to cope with the complaints.

Moreover, Uber's US rival Lyft also faces similar complaints with 464 reports of non-consensual sexual penetration and 587 of attempted non-consensual sexual penetration along with other cases of non-consensual kissing or touching in 2017 and 2018. 

Read: Uber Sensitises 50,000 Driver Partners In India On Violence Against Women

Uber hails decline in cases

At the same time, Uber has stressed on the declines in the "incident rate" based on a larger number of overall trips. The report said that from 2017 to 2018, Uber saw approximately a 16% decrease in the average incident rate across the five most serious sexual assault categories reported.

Uber further said that there were 10 "fatal physical assaults" related to its service in 2017 and nine in 2018. Of the 19 fatal physical assaults, 18 were in relation to Uber. Going into details, it mentioned that out of the dead, eight were riders, seven were drivers and four were third parties including bystanders.

Read: Uber 'not Fit And Proper At This Time,' Could Face A Ban In This City

44% of women in the US are victims of sexual assault

Uber completed 3.1 million trips per day on its platform between 2017 and 2018. There were 36,000 auto-related deaths in 2018 and 20,000 homicides in 2017. There was a total of 21 categories under which the reports were classified. The company also mentioned the national estimate, saying that nearly 44% of women in the US have been victims of sexual violence in their lifetime. Uber’s Chief Legal Officer, told the media that Uber is a reflection of the society it serves. Likewise, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshani also released a statement on Twitter.

Read: Uber To Let Users Record Audio Of Rides In Brazil, Mexico

Read: Uber Safety Culture Lacking In Autonomous Car Incident: Regulator

(With Inputs from PTI)