The popular shuttle app released that in 2018, no fewer than 3045 sexual harassment cases and nine homicides were committed by drivers belonging to it
Uber taxi in the United States // Photo: Illustration
In a statement released Thursday (Thursday), Giant Uber, which provides transportation for private drivers, said in 2018 it had reported 3,045 sexual assault cases, nine homicides, and 58 fatal accidents during travel booked via the app - in the United States alone.
Countries outside the United States do not have exact numbers, but in Brazil and India, where Uber services are widely used, there are frequent reports of homicides in robbery and robbery while not using taxi apps. In China, several cases were published, including a case of a raped and murdered passenger, who was subsequently fired by all company executives.
The number of reported cases represents a miniscule portion, only 0.0002 percent of the 1.3 billion US trips in the year under review. According to the data, 99.9 percent of Uber's trips ended without any incident. The New York Police Department, which maintains sex crimes information on transportation systems, counted 533 cases throughout 2018.
"The numbers are hard to digest," says Tony West, vice president of the law firm. "This means that Uber represents the company it serves." According to Uber records in 2017, there were 2,936 sexual assaults, and in 2018 that number rose to 3,045, with statistics citing cases such as Kissing in "non-sexual organs" to attempted rape and rape, most of which involved sexual assault without consent, the company decided to publish the numbers, in order to raise public awareness of the safety measures it is taking and to prove to potential criminals that their behavior is being monitored.
From the beginning of 2018, Uber has introduced the use of an automated filtering system to check the drivers' performance and their history with the law authorities. Filtering canceled 40,000 U.S. drivers who failed app testing.
Competitor Lyft also incorporated a safety testing system, calling for the industry to establish a driver database. Company spokeswoman Alexandra Le Mana said over the weekend that the company "is committed to publishing its safety report fully and is working on sharing a database that will include drivers who do not undergo initial background checks or fail periodic checks."
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of the state of Connecticut said Friday that app shuttle companies should do more in safety, such as background checks for drivers with biometric identification. "These measures are only the beginning, as the transportation companies fail in their role to protect passengers from predators or criminals."
