There is no question that Uber has revolutionized the taxi industry and, quite frankly, everything. With just a few minutes and a couple of taps of your fingers, you can be in a private car and en route to your destination.
Although Uber has created a plethora of gigs and made it significantly easier for people to get from point A to point B, it is clear that this service poses threats to its riders.
This past weekend, I received the following texts from one of my friends who attends SMU:
I was in an Uber with three of my female friends when I received these messages, and our stomachs immediately turned into knots upon learning what had happened. I later discovered that the victim was able to escape the attack, and her family is suing the technology company.
The unfortunate reality of this disturbing incident, however, is that it not an uncommon one.
An article entitled “Uber Sexual Assault: Statistics On The Ride-Share Company’s Safety For Drivers And Passengers” revealed the following:
“Using a screenshot from a service representative with the San Francisco-based company, BuzzFeed found in March that a search query for “sexual assault” within Uber’s customer support ticketing system yielded 6,160 results, or 6,160 cases, for the period between December 2012 and August 2015. Plugging in the search term “rape” resulted in 5,827 tickets, while “assault” revealed 3,524 and “sexually assaulted” yielded 382. In the same report, BuzzFeed obtained data from the company indicating that it had received “fewer than” 170 sexual assault claims and five claims of rape over the same time span.”
What do we make of this alarming information? It appears that there is a disconnect between the number of sexual assault and rape reports Uber discloses to the public and the number of crimes that are actually committed.
Although Uber claims that safety is their main priority, it seems that they are more interested in generating revenue than providing their customers with a secure riding experience. Two separate lawsuits shed light on this inclination:
- The application process to become an Uber driver is simple, fast, and designed to allow Uber to hire as many drivers as possible while incurring minimal associated costs. Such cost saving, however, is at the expense of riders, especially female riders.”
- Despite consistently marketing its driver background check process as “industry leading” and “more rigorous than what is required to become a taxi driver” – in reality Uber’s application process is designed for speed, not safety.
Uber has been scrutinized for failing to conduct comprehensive background checks, and both the above statements and texts I received only prove that the problem of insufficient screening continues to be true today.
So what do we do now?
One of my friend’s reactions to the SMU attack I shared with her was, “I’m never taking Uber again.” Two days later, she took an Uber to a job interview. We are so accustomed to—and even reliant on—this platform that we don’t know how to navigate our cities without it.
So, although it may be impossible to refrain from ever taking an Uber again, we need to be mindful of the situations we put ourselves in and act relentlessly in demanding thorough background checks.
In addition, we can support public safety campaigns, such as “Who’s Driving You?” and continue to spread awareness about the risks of ridesharing.
Works Cited
https://www.recode.net/2017/6/30/15904770/uber-lawsuit-sexual-assault-negligence-background-checks
http://www.whosdrivingyou.org/
Gaby Cohen's Blog 
First off, my thoughts are with your friend and I hope that she’s feeling better after this incident. As for what to do now with this information and with the knowledge that so many people have been put in unsafe situations in Uber cars, I think the only things we can do is take action and demand change. I know that your friend ended up taking an Uber to a job interview a few days after her incident, but I think that if we want to get attention from the executives at Uber we have to refuse to give them our money. Instead of using Uber people should make more of an effort to use other ride-sharing apps such as Lyft, that require more extensive background checks for drivers. At the end of the day, the only way that Uber will change is if they are no longer making money. Then, with this decrease in users they are forced to notice and enact change.
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I am so sorry that your friend had to deal with such a horrible incident. Unfortunately, this is not the first time that I have heard of a friend or peer having a dangerous and uncomfortable experience with Uber. I am guilty of using Uber, even after hearing stories such as this; however, I think it is time to make a change. This change can only be demanded and achievable if we all decide to revolt against such corruption, not just those who have been personally affected. I think it is important to share stories like this, as horrible as they are, because it is the only way to spread awareness and spark a change in society.
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