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Uber received reports of sexual assault or misconduct in the US nearly every eight minutes between 2017 and 2022, according to sealed court records.
The documents, reviewed by The New York Times, are part of a large-scale litigation against the company, and show that Uber logged 400,181 such reports in five years, a far higher figure than the company had previously disclosed.
Publicly, Uber has promoted itself as one of the safest transportation options, publishing safety reports and campaigns highlighting that 99.9% of trips occur without incident. But previously released safety reports disclosed 12,522 serious sexual assaults for the same period, without including all categories of incidents. Uber has not published similar data since 2022, and court filings indicate incident reports have increased.
Court records reveal internal approach
Court records indicate that Uber’s safety decisions were influenced by its focus on expanding its customer base, limiting legal exposure, and preserving its independent contractor model for drivers. According to The NYT, the classification lowers labor costs and limits oversight, as drivers are not bound by the same workplace rules as traditional employees.
“Our purpose/goal is not to be the police,” read an internal 2021 brainstorming document on Uber’s global safety standards. “Our bar is much lower and our goal is to protect the company and set the tolerable risk level for our operations.
Uber said roughly 75% of the 400,181 reports involved “less serious” conduct such as flirting, appearance comments, or explicit language. It added the figures were unaudited and could contain false or incorrect reports. Out of 6.3 billion US trips in the period, Uber said such reports accounted for 0.006% of rides, with the most serious assaults making up 0.00002%.
“There is no ‘tolerable’ level of sexual assault,” said Hannah Nilles, Uber’s Head of Safety for the Americas. She said the company has invested in GPS tracking, optional audio recording, a 911 emergency button, and sexual assault and misconduct training for US drivers.
Patterns, pilot programs, and response
Court documents show Uber teams studied sexual assault patterns for years, finding incidents were most likely late at night and on weekends, often with pickups near bars. Victims were most often women, and offenders were typically men, both drivers and passengers, with prior complaints and low ratings.
Uber tested pairing female riders with female drivers and a “Safety Risk Assessed Dispatch” algorithm to avoid high-risk matches. The female-to-female pairing reduced incidents but was delayed in the US due to potential legal and cultural backlash following the 2024 presidential election. It is now being piloted in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit.
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In a public statement, Uber said: “Safety is a core value at Uber, and we have invested billions of dollars and countless hours to reduce safety incidents during trips,” adding that serious sexual assault reports have dropped 44% since 2019.
The firm also noted it was among the first major companies to end forced arbitration in sexual misconduct cases, enabling survivors to take claims to court.
Rival Lyft has also reported thousands of sexual assaults, stating they are “statistically very rare” and represent far less than 1% of rides.
A US Government Accountability Office report last year found sexual violence to be severely underreported in all transportation modes and highlighted the lack of a central incident database.
