For years, Uber has claimed that its service is safe. But recently unsealed court documents tell a far darker truth: between 2017 and 2022, Uber received over 400,000 reports of sexual assault or misconduct in the U.S. — one report every eight minutes on average.

Behind Uber’s public image of safety lies a deeply troubling pattern of internal decisions that prioritized profits over people. Internal documents and employee interviews reveal that Uber tested safety features like matching female riders with female drivers, default in-car video recording, and predictive risk tools that could reduce assaults — but chose not to fully implement them. Why? Because these changes didn’t fit their business model of using under-regulated, minimally supervised contractors as drivers.

Even worse, Uber has withheld critical safety information from the public. Their official reports only included the most extreme categories of assault and excluded patterns like peak times and locations of risk — all to avoid deterring customers. They didn’t just hide data; they actively shaped a narrative that downplayed the scale of the harm. Meanwhile, survivors were left in the dark — and vulnerable.

Uber has settled some lawsuits, but continues to aggressively fight others. Internal messages show marketing managers discussing how to bury bad press, and spokespeople admitting to discrediting victims in the media. This isn’t transparency. It’s damage control.

If Uber truly believes “there is no tolerable level of sexual assault,” then they must act like it.

We demand:

• Full transparency from Uber on the scale and patterns of reported sexual violence.
• Implementation of proven safety features like required in-car video or audio recording.
• A rider option to be paired with drivers of the same gender.
• Accountability for failures to act on known safety risks.

No one should fear for their safety just because they used a ride-share app.

We cannot accept a future where corporate convenience is valued over human safety. Sign now to demand Uber take real, lasting steps to protect its passengers.

Photo: Ava Pellor for The New York Times