Uber issues their 2018 safety report a few days before the end of 2019. All hail the self-regulating free market!
Uber disclosed 3,000 sexual assaults reported in U.S. rides last year in its long-awaited safety report, amidst widespread criticism of its safety practices and pressure to increase its transparency over the issue.
In a lengthy report, which divides sexual misconduct into 21 categories, Uber said it recorded 235 rapes last year and hundreds more reports of assault which could involve unwanted touching, kissing or attempted rape.
The report also examined other safety categories, including violent crimes such as physical assaults and motor vehicle deaths. Uber said there were 107 motor vehicle fatalities in 2017 and 2018 in a total of 97 fatal crashes involving users on the app. The company also said there were 19 fatal physical assaults over the same time period.
Of course we have no context on the deaths and assaults versus taxi services, so I don’t know if they’re better or worse than cabs. My guess is worse, since the barrier to entry to someone who wants to turn their car into a independently contracted grope wagon is lower than a driver who wants to join a taxi service.
Also, is it just me, or is Lyft’s relationship to Uber similar to Target’s relationship to Wal-Mart? Both do basically the same thing, but the bigger one’s business practices are a bit worse, so they get most of the heat.