Uber Safety: Key Features, Concerns, and Protection Tips

Assaults Are Still Happening… Protect Yourself.

Everyone looks forward to celebrating at their friend’s best bachelorette party ever—you have a fun night on the town with dinner, dancing, drinks, and lots of laughter. When the night ends, you call an Uber without a second thought. On the ride home, thinking about all the fun, you nodded off in the back seat. The next thing you know, you don’t know where you are. The car has stopped, and the driver is climbing into the back seat.

Does Uber Care About Women’s Safety?

Yes and no.

The #1 rideshare company, Uber, has been accused of contradicting its safety claims by talking out of both sides of its mouth. While it markets itself as a safe option for late-night rides, there are reports of the company hiring drivers with criminal records that third-party background checkers have overlooked. Uber denies these accusations.

Despite Uber’s resistance, there have been calls for the company to implement a new video recording feature for drivers. However, critics argue that allowing Uber drivers to control when to record and share data is not sufficient. They advocate for mandatory in-vehicle cameras, citing studies showing that such cameras in taxis led to a drastic reduction in sexual assaults against passengers and drivers.

Rachel Abrams, an Uber sexual assault attorney, insists that app-based safety solutions are inadequate and that in-vehicle cameras in Uber cars are essential for passenger and driver safety.

What Has Uber Done to Help Women Be Safer?

Hmm. There’s the technologically sophisticated Uber Safety Toolkit2 with in-app emergency features, including a rollout in April 2024 that launched a new safety preferences section3 designed to gather all of Uber’s safety tools in one place and let users schedule to switch them on automatically, according to the Uber website.

But its motive has always been questionable. It did nothing for a decade to warn or protect women until stocks took a dive in 2017 subsequent to a torrent of sexual assault reports.

In April 2017, Bloomberg4 reported that Uber had been rocked by a number of recent setbacks, including “detailed accusations of sexual harassment from women.” The allegations and resulting stock plunge prompted development of the Toolkit as well as government-mandated national safety reports every other year.

Still, Uber made little adjustment to its hiring protocols and continued to resist cooperating with authorities, not to mention fingerprinting.

The federal government mandated biennial (every other year) summaries of reported Uber sexual assaults during rides beginning in 2017. The first Safety Report, covering 2017-2018 & released in December 2019, cited 10,000 driver sexual assaults on passengers, 81% of them women; the second, covering 2019-2020 but delayed until June 2022 by COVID, cited 3,824 assaults & reflected dramatically fewer trips during the pandemic.

Is There An Active Uber Lawsuit?

Yes. Today the company is slammed with an avalanche of Uber sexual assault lawsuits from women claiming it doesn’t do enough to protect them from predator drivers. We believe they’re right. In California, the Taxi industry lobbied for Rideshare drivers to be held to the same safety standards. However, fingerprint-based background checks for Uber and Lyft drivers5 were rejected. Safety groups state, “Law enforcement and experts agree that fingerprints-based background checks are far superior in terms of protecting passengers.”

The key complaint is Uber’s lax hiring policies, or “breach of duty” for denying passengers the safety owed (advertised) to them.

Sidenote: Civil lawsuits seek financial compensation from a company for turning a blind eye to systemic misconduct within their ranks.

What Do We Know Anyway?

A lot. Too much. Since A Case for Women was founded in 2016, we’ve received over 10,000 inquiries (increasing every day!) and we have connected thousands of women to law firms to seek justice after sexual assault by an Uber or Lyft driver.

Their stories are petrifying. This is what one survivor told us, word for word:

“I was on vacation so I didn’t know where I was going. I knew my destination was to get back to the hotel. It started with his hands and I made him angry because I was not cooperating. He ended up pulling over somewhere I had no clue where I was at and he raped me and he kept hitting me so I’d stop struggling and I must’ve blacked out because the next thing I know I’m getting pushed out of the car and I’m at my hotel.”

How Can You Stay Safe Using Uber or Lyft?

To ride safely in an Uber or Lyft, passengers must be hyper-vigilant even if it’s considered a hassle. (It is a hassle.)

For starters, when the vehicle pulls up, match the make and model with the information provided on the app and the driver’s face with the app photo.

As you approach, verify the driver’s identity and wait for them to acknowledge you by name. This is also the best (only) chance to use your antennae: If the driver seems “off” or derisive, even slightly unfriendly, say you changed your mind.

When you walk around back to the passenger side, check the license plate. Always ride in the back on the passenger side. Keep your phone on with the app switched on throughout the ride to take advantage of Uber’s Toolkit safety features.

Unfortunately, the old adage is still true – it is safer for women to travel together. Strength in numbers may deter potential attackers, so consider sharing the ride with someone whenever possible.

If traveling alone, you can maintain contact with someone by phone by sharing your trip details with a friend or family member using the app’s “Share Trip Status” feature.

Remember, every situation is different, so it’s important to stay alert and resourceful, no matter how tired you are—never fall asleep in the back seat!

What Do I Do If I’m Assaulted?

Call 911 as soon as you’re able.
When speaking with the police, they will ask for your statement and may inquire about any details you can recall. We understand this may be difficult, especially during a traumatic experience, so please do your best.
The police will take you to the nearest medical facility where a professional can perform a rape kit. The evidence collected will be carefully preserved until a thorough investigation is conducted.
The hospital can also store your clothing in a sealed bag for potential DNA analysis to help in identifying the perpetrator.
It’s important to preserve the clothing you were wearing during the assault as it may contain crucial evidence.
Keep any possible evidence, including receipts for transportation.

These nonprofit programs are designed to help women who have survived sexual assault.

Why Should You Call A Case for Women When You’re Hurt?

We were the first company dedicated solely to helping women in need of legal assistance. We’re not a law firm, but we collaborate with the best in the country, plus we’ve been officially certified as a woman-owned business.

If we can’t help women (you) avoid danger by informing you that danger exists, we are all about women helping women take legal action to recover, on every level.

If you have survived the unspeakable, you are NOT alone! We are here to help you 100%.

We’re changing the narrative about lawsuits.^TM

Sources

1. Rebecca Bellan, “Uber sexual assault survivors call for in-car cameras, tech upgrades,” Tech Crunch. October 13, 2023.
2. Safety Toolkit and App Safety Features for Riders. Uber website.
3. Emilie Boman, Director of Safety Public Policy, Uber, “Set it and Forget it: How to Maximize Your Safety Features,” Uber website. April 10, 2024.
4. Prarthana Prakash, “Uber Records 38% Drop in Rate of Reported Sexual Assault,” Bloomberg. June 30, 2022. 5 “CA Regulators Reject Fingerprinting For Uber, Lyft Drivers,”AP. November 17, 2017.

Is Uber Safer Yet?