Uber is facing a lawsuit from at least 550 former passengers who accuse the company of systematically failing to protect women from violence on its platform. The lawsuit, filed at San Francisco County Superior Court on Wednesday, alleges that female passengers were kidnapped, sexually assaulted, raped, falsely imprisoned, stalked, harassed, or otherwise attacked by Uber drivers.
Adam Slater, a partner at Slater Slater Schulman representing the women, stated: 'While the company has acknowledged this crisis of sexual assault in recent years, its actual response has been slow and inadequate, with horrific consequences.' He added that Uber could do more by adding cameras, performing robust background checks, and creating warning systems for drivers deviating from routes.
The initial filing includes five anonymous plaintiffs from across the US, whose stories of rape and sexual assault are intended to reflect the wider group. The complaint alleges that attacks stem from 'the toxic-male culture at Uber' that prioritised profits over safety, and that Uber knew about sexual predators driving for the company as early as 2014 but failed to take adequate precautions.
In Uber's own safety report, released in June, the company counted 141 reports of rape in the US in 2020 alone, and a total of 998 sexual assault incidents. An Uber spokesperson responded: 'Sexual assault is a horrific crime and we take every single report seriously. There is nothing more important than safety, which is why Uber has built new safety features, established survivor-centric policies, and been more transparent about serious incidents.'
One plaintiff, Jane Doe SSS 14 from California, described to the New York Post how a driver locked her in the car and attempted to rape her after she was asked to sit in the front seat. She eventually escaped but said Uber blocked her account without refunding the fare when she complained. The lawsuit is separate from the Guardian's Uber Files investigation.
