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When the New York Times dropped its exposé on Uber sexual assault in fall of 2025, we didn’t know whether to be in shock or to celebrate (just a little). For starters, it brought more attention to something we already have suspected for years: Uber is NOT as safe as you may think and far too many women have been sexually assaulted by Uber (and Lyft!) drivers.1 Yet, with the power of the NYT behind it, this little-talked about issue was finally getting the attention it deserved. And the data is staggering.
“Uber received a report of sexual assault or sexual misconduct in the United States almost every eight minutes on average between 2017 and 2022, newly unsealed court documents show, a level far more massive than what the company earlier disclosed.”
– Emily Steel, New York Times 2
If you are one of the thousands of women who has (or not yet) reported assault by an Uber or Lyft driver, we want to hear from you. Uber has promoted itself as safe while hiding extremely real info about its sexual assault problem. No way you’re alone in this.
“Our goal is not to be the police,” an Uber brainstorming communication from 2021 noted in the article: “Our bar is much lower, and our goal is to protect the company and set the tolerable risk level for our operations.”
Emily Steel, the New York Times investigator who broke the story, Uber’s Festering Assault Problem / August 6, 2025, obtained exclusive rights to view the previously sealed documents relative to Uber’s civil sexual assault lawsuit (active). Here’s what she found:
Uber earlier reported 12,522 assaults between 2017-2022, when the real number was 400,181.3
Steel interviewed Uber employees past and present to understand the company’s attention to its assault crisis + its investment into safety measures from roughly 2014-2020, and then its unwillingness to launch those measures in the United States – ultimately choosing its business model over Uber safety for women.4
According to the Times, there are three key ideas identified by Uber to make rides safer – but ultimately the company decided not to implement any of these, leading to a lost opportunity to make rides safer for women.5
“Even as Uber worked to roll out new safety features, it was inundated with media coverage of sexual assault incidents. The company deployed a plan to push a ‘steady drumbeat of safety messages,’ to drown out some of those stories, according to a 2018 email sent by a marketing manager.” – Emily Steel/ NYT.6
By 2012, after its meteoric launch in 2009, the company was aware of sexual assaults happening on rides. By 2014, its data scientists began looking deeper into the problem. In 2017, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi outlined his vision for a system of cameras that would record trips. The system was deemed to be both feasible and cost effective with a high likelihood of reducing driver misconduct and helping drivers. However, Uber decided not to pursue cameras in cars – because they would conflict with the “contractor” business model.6
This program would allow women passengers to request women drivers (or vice versa), even making it a permanent default request – though requests aren’t guaranteed since only 20% of Uber drivers are women. “Women driving women,” however, has been on hold for six years in the US after being successfully tested in Saudi Arabia in 2019 and found “overwhelmingly effective.” Uber announced on July 23, 2025, that the program’s limited US launch was scheduled “in coming weeks” in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit.”7
43 predictors consistently warn of potential danger, such as “creepy driver feedback” + a driver’s safety incident history + location, the main high-risk pattern being: late night pickups outside bars, on weekends, involving a male driver and woman rider. The tool correctly anticipated 15% of assaults when it was pilot tested in Los Angeles. Uber never launched it full-scale, though, or shared its knowledge of predictable patterns with the public, to protect the model.8
Uber ads early on promoted it as a safe alternative to drinking and driving – but many women have found that to not be the case.
Yes, there are currently thousands of women signed up for civil legal action against both Uber and Lyft.
Our trauma-informed team has talked to more than 16,000 women about possible Uber/ Lyft sexual assault lawsuits. As of fall 2025, we’ve helped more than 3,500 women join Uber and Lyft lawsuits, connecting them with sexual assault lawyers who work on contingency. That means you pay nothing upfront and the lawyers only receive payment after they obtain a positive result in your case.
We’ve invested with a consuming passion in the Uber + Lyft sexual assault lawsuits because we believe women should be safe when using a rideshare service. Period.
Contact us 24/7/365. It won’t be for nothing: it could be monumental.
Uber’s Safety Record Regarding Sexual Assault Gets a Front Row Seat in New York Times Article 
Uber’s New Feature? A Step in the Right Direction—Sure. But Groundbreaking? Not Exactly. 
Calling 911 Should Always Be Your First Move. Not Uber. 
Separating Myth From Fact About Rideshare Danger 
Is Uber Safer Yet? 
How to Take Legal Action After Experiencing Assault in an Uber or Lyft 
Uber Wants to Stay in the Fast Lane with Safety. 
Riding in Fear: Unmasking the Dark Side of Ride-Sharing Apps 
Real Horror Stories Are Unmasked in the Uber Assault Lawsuit. 
Rideshare Safety Is a Thing. 
Ridesharing Safely During the Holidays 
UBER & LYFT: TOO MANY WOMEN HAVE BEEN ASSAULTED 
RIDING WITH UBER OR LYFT? FOLLOW THESE SAFETY TIPS! 
