Uber’s Hidden Crisis: 400,000 Sexual Misconduct Reports (2017-2022) Exposed

Uber Received 400,000 Reports of Sexual Misconduct from 2017 to 2022

The ride-sharing giant Uber is facing renewed scrutiny after a new report revealed a staggering 400,181 instances of sexual assault or misconduct were reported on its US trips between 2017 and 2022. That’s approximately one report every eight minutes, a figure that dramatically overshadows the 12,522 serious sexual assault accounts Uber had previously disclosed during the same period.

These alarming details come from sealed documents reviewed by The New York Times, which also drew on interviews with current and former Uber employees, internal records, and court documents from ongoing large-scale sexual assault litigation against the company.

Uber’s US Head of Safety, Hanna Nilles, acknowledged the reports to the NYT, stating that “There is no ‘tolerable’ level of sexual assault.” She also noted that about 75 percent of these reports were considered “less serious,” encompassing issues like inappropriate comments about a passenger’s appearance, flirting, or the use of explicit language. Nilles added that these reports had not been formally audited by Uber, meaning they could potentially include inaccuracies or even fraudulent submissions.

Despite marketing itself as one of the safest travel options, emphasizing the rarity of incidents, the NYT investigation suggests Uber allegedly failed to implement measures that could have significantly boosted passenger safety. These include exploring sophisticated matching algorithms, pairing female passengers with female drivers, and issuing warnings about known risk factors.

Disturbingly, the report cites multiple cases where drivers with a documented history of inappropriate behavior were allowed to remain on the platform, only to subsequently commit sexual assaults against passengers. Furthermore, Uber reportedly rejected safety enhancements like in-car cameras, ostensibly to avoid disrupting its business model that classifies drivers as independent contractors, not employees. A potential feature to match female drivers with female passengers was also reportedly halted, partly due to concerns about “culture wars” and other business considerations.

Uber maintains that millions of rides occur daily, with the vast majority—around 99.9 percent in the US—happening without incident. However, this new report, detailing horrific assaults and raising questions about Uber’s willingness to address the problem head-on, serves as another powerful indictment of the company’s long-standing “growth-above-all” culture.