UBER ADMITS DRIVERS RAPE OF LARGE NUMBER OF RIDERS

Uber received 235 reports of a rape occurring during a ride in the United States last year — an average of four a week, according to a company review released Thursday.
The ride-hailing company has come under increasing scrutiny amid a flood of lawsuits from riders alleging they were sexually assaulted by drivers.

In an extensive new report, Uber details for the first time the number of sexual abuse complaints made to the company in 2017 and 2018.

The 84-page report reveals several startling statistics:
235 reports of rape in 2018, up from 229 in 2017.
280 reports of attempted rape in 2018, down from 307 in 2017.
1,560 reports of groping in 2018, up from 1,440 in 2017.
376 reports of unwanted kissing to the breast, buttocks or mouth in 2018, down from 390 in 2017.
594 reports of unwanted kissing to a different body part in 2018, up from 570 in 2017.

In all, Uber received 5,981 reports of sexual abuse between 2017 and 2018.
Tony West, Uber’s chief legal officer, acknowledged that the figures were difficult to confront.
“Each of those incidents represents an individual who has undergone a horrific trauma,” West told NBC News.
“But I’m not surprised by those numbers. And I’m not surprised because sexual violence is just much more pervasive in society than I think most people realize.”