What to Do if You’ve Been Sexually Assaulted by a Lyft or Uber Driver

“Get an Uber.”  How many of us have heard that phrase from a friend when we’re trying to explain to her that our car is in the shop?  It’s the thing to do in this day and age — to call for a rideshare in an Uber or Lyft — especially when we’re out late at night and our car’s in the shop and we’ve had a little too much fun and shouldn’t be driving, anyway.   Uber has protections in place, right?  It’s safe, right?

THINK AGAIN!  Rideshare sexual assault danger exists.  It’s serious.  Concern regarding sexual assault in rideshare contexts is growing daily.  Although Uber claims that more than 99% of its billions of trips annually worldwide are uneventful, the percentage that go wrong mean thousands upon thousands of scenes in the backseat after a driver veers from the route and parks in the dark. Uber used to claim it was the “safest ride on the road” and the “gold standard in safety.” Because of lawsuits, Uber can no longer say misleading things like that. But that hasn’t prevented roughly 11,000 documented sexual assaults since, according to multiple news sources.

Survivors of sexual assault by an Uber driver or a Lyft driver need step-by-step guidance regarding what to do after a sexual assault, their legal options, and helpful resources to turn to for non-judgmental support.  This article will provide this information for you.

Understanding Uber Sexual Assault Cases

To understand an Uber or Lyft sexual assault, it is imperative to understand what exactly constitutes sexual assault by a rideshare driver.  Sexual assault in a rideshare may include indecent exposure, inappropriate/unwanted touching, or even rape.   Sexual assault by a rideshare driver involves any non-consensual sexual act or contact, whether through manipulation or force, intoxication, or coercion.  Examples are unwanted touching and verbal harassment that also escalates to full-on assault and rape.  The bottom line is ANY UNWANTED SEXUAL ADVANCE = ASSAULT.  To ride safely in an Uber or a Lyft, passengers must be hyper-vigilant even if it’s considered a hassle.

Lyft and Uber’s response to rideshare driver sexual assault seems tepid at best, limited to automated in-app check-ins during prolonged stops and basic criminal background checks for drivers. These measures fall woefully short in ensuring rider safety, and predators slip through the cracks with no criminal record.

There are ways to ride safely in an Uber or Lyft:

Immediate Steps to Take After an Uber Sexual Assault

If you have suffered a sexual assault by an Uber driver (or a Lyft driver), and you are able to think clearly, remember, this is not your fault! But here are a few steps to follow immediately:

Preserving Evidence for Legal Action

If you experienced a sexual assault at the hands of a an Uber or Lyft driver. You will have so many things on your mind; but aside from realizing that IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT, one of the most important actions you can do is to DOCUMENT EVERYTHING (medical records, receipts, ride details, driver information, text communications, and anything else you can remember).  A suggestion would be to take a screenshot of the ride in the app before it disappears.

Your lawyer will appreciate every bit of information you provide for preparation of the filing of your case.   Your evidence that has been properly documented is your truth and it matters.

Legal Options for Survivors

Being a survivor of sexual assault by an Uber or Lyft driver means you suffered a horrific event, but — dont forget:  YOU’RE A SURVIVOR. Yay!  You’ve found out just how strong you are and it’s empowering.

The next step for a survivor to take— legal action — may be intimidating because most of us are not familiar with it. Lawsuits and interactions with lawyers were generally handled by men.  Times have changed and women are standing up, educating themselves, and going forward to hold the perpetrator accountable, be it a single person or the company.

There are different legal paths a survivor could take: filing a criminal complaint or pursuing a civil lawsuit. Criminal law is most like the courtroom drama you’ve seen on shows like Law & Order or Criminal Minds: the good guys chase down the bad guys, capture them, and bring them to a trial where twelve jurors hear testimony from both sides and ultimately assign a verdict.  The defendant (aka the bad guy) enters the courtroom shackled and, if found guilty, faces the consequences— prison time, fines, or worse.  If you have suffered a CRIMINAL rideshare sexual assault:

1. CALL 911
2. FILE A POLICE REPORT
3. SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION
4. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING
5. AN INVESTIGATION WILL BE MADE
6. POTENTIAL TRIAL
7. HOPEFULLY DEFENDANT IS LOCKED UP.

This may be a satisfying conclusion, but it is just one door to justice.

Civil law isn’t focused on just punishing an individual but on holding powerful corporations, organizations, and institutions accountable for the harm they’ve caused.  Entire systems can fail victims by cutting corners to maximize profit, leaving people like you to pick up the pieces.  But survivors may have the right to sue corporations like Uber and Lyft for negligence in hiring as background checks — which are required — are sometimes flawed and could certainly be more comprehensive.  Although Uber and Lyft have safety protocols in place,  including emergency assistance buttons, still the assaults continue at an alarming rate.  Safety concerns remain a consistent issue for passengers and drivers alike.

Civil legal action is the only way to hold the corporations and institutions that were complicit in abuse and assault accountable.  Civil lawsuits don’t just put one person in jail; they change the system by hitting the corporations where it hurts: their wallets.

Another take-away:  While criminal cases require proof beyond a reasonable doubt, civil cases need only show liability by a preponderance of evidence. In other words, In criminal cases, the burden of proving the defendant’s guilt is on the prosecution, and they must establish that fact beyond a reasonable doubt. In civil cases, the plaintiff has the burden of proving their case by a preponderance of the evidence, which means the plaintiff merely needs to show that the fact in dispute is more likely than not.

How Companies Like Uber Handle Sexual Assault Complaints 

Uber’s reporting on sexual misconduct is sketchy at best.  On April 9, 2024, a new lawsuit filed in federal court in Delaware charged that Uber’s leadership falsely represented the platform’s safety in the context of both public filings and advertising, despite its executives knowing there were more than 9,000 sexual assaults committed by drivers reported between 2017 and 2020 alone.  The New York Times‘ Emily Steel reported on August 6, 2025 and exposed Uber’s fuzzy math.  “From 2017-2022, the rideshare giant had reported a total of 12,522 sexual assaults. Not quite. The correct number is (wait for it) 400,181 – that’s one assault reported nearly every eight minutes for six years.” Steel said her calculator wasn’t capable of figuring the increase.

A person who takes a trip in an Uber and experiences sexual misconduct has access to an in-app feature on his or her phone which is how Uber tracks this type of issue.  (Or they should dial 911.)  Uber receives criticism for slow response time due to driver availability or high demand or technical problems with the app.

Additionally, per the NYT: “Uber has found that sexual assaults follow distinct patterns. Women most often are the victims, whether they are passengers or drivers. The attacks typically occur late at night and on the weekend, with pickups originating near a bar. In the vast majority of cases, the offenders are men — drivers or passengers — with records of sexual misconduct complaints and low ratings, the internal documents show. Intoxicated passengers are especially vulnerable.”

Yet: “Still, Uber delayed or did not require its drivers to adopt some of the most promising programs, nor did it warn passengers about factors it linked to attacks, according to interviews with more than a dozen current and former employees, internal documents and court records. Hundreds of the records have been under seal as part of large-scale sexual assault litigation against Uber.”

An attempt at safety, Uber has launched a new pilot program in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit, introducing a “Women Preferred” feature, The goal is to help women feel safer and more in control of who they ride with. For riders, there is a setting that allows users to turn on “Women Drivers,” which increases the likelihood of being matched with a female driver (though it’s not guaranteed). On the flip side, the feature allows drivers to accept trips from only women. Drivers can turn this option on or off anytime, depending on what feels right for them.

Ongoing lawsuits continue.  Per ConsumerNotice.org, “As of October 2025, MDL No. 3084 included 2,721 pending lawsuits that alleged ‘Uber failed to implement appropriate safety precautions to protect passengers, and that plaintiffs suffered sexual assault or harassment as a result.’  Uber cases have also been coordinated in California’s District Courts. More than 100 Lyft lawsuits have been separately organized in California, as well.  While the Lyft litigation is smaller than the Uber cases, growth could be on the horizon. In October 2025, a motion was filed for Lyft lawsuits to be grouped together in their own MDL. The motion noted that ‘hundreds or thousands’ of Lyft lawsuits could be filed.”

Why Legal Representation Matters

You’ve been sexually assaulted by a rideshare driver when all you really wanted to do was get a safe ride home.  After reporting the issue and seeking medical assistance and all the things recommended to do after you’ve been assaulted (see above Immediate Steps to Take After an Uber Sexual Assault), you will need to contact a lawyer to navigate rideshare assault cases for you.  Uber of course has large legal teams of lawyers to fight your case so it is important to have a competent, caring lawyer on your side who has the experience and resources for this type of case.  A lawyer can explain the statute of limitations (a law assigning a certain time limit, usually from the date an assault is committed or discovered, after which your rights cannot be enforced by legal action and offenses against you can no longer be punished).   A statute of limitations varies from state to state along with a host of other stipulations, despite some fairly standardized basics.

The lawyers that A Case for Women works with operate on a contingency basis  — which means they don’t get paid unless they are successful — and have the experience, passion, and track record for successfully taking on complex cases, like rideshare.  They truly CARE about their client and realize that women want a lawyer who cares as much as they do about making this world a safer place. Of course, if your case is successful, your attorney can secure compensation for you to send your child to college, buy a house, cover lost wages, medical costs, and treatment for emotional harm.

Resources and Support for Survivors

Resources and support for survivors are paramount for survivors to find the assistance they need after suffering a traumatic event like a sexual assault.  Below you will find a list of trusted resources — together with A Case for Women — to help survivors explore their legal options, get answers to their many questions, and find much-needed emotional support.