by Donald Wood
Last updated: 3:41 PM ET, Fri December 6, 2019
Uber revealed in a company safety report Thursday that it received 3,045 reports of sexual assault during rides in the United States last year.
According to The New York Times, the ride-hailing platform's safety report outlined the sexual assaults, fatal physical assaults and motor vehicle fatalities that took place over the last two years.
In 2018, Uber received 235 reported incidents of rape, an increase from 229 the previous year, while instances of attempted rape decreased from 307 reports in 2017 to 280 in 2018.
Uber officials maintain that despite the clear issues, the ride-sharing company averaged over 3.1 million trips daily in the U.S. last year and 99.9 percent of them ended without any safety issue.
"Confronting sexual violence requires honesty, and it's only by shining a light on these issues that we can begin to provide clarity on something that touches every corner of society," Uber chief legal officer Tony West said in a statement. "And, most importantly, by bringing hard data to bear, we can make every trip safer for drivers and riders alike."
In addition to the reported cases of sexual assault, the safety report revealed that 107 people died in 97 fatal crashes over the last two years, with 90 percent of the Uber-related fatal crashes taking place in urban areas.
The report also detailed steps the company has taken to improve the safety of its riders and drivers, such as sharing the names of drivers banned from Uber with other ride-sharing companies, a survivor support hotline and sexual misconduct education for all drivers.
Uber also said it had tripled the size of its safety team since 2017, totaling over 300 employees dedicated to improving safety.
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