The criticism alleges the ladies have been attacked of their rides and that Uber has identified about sexual misconduct by among the drivers since 2014.
The criticism was filed in San Francisco, the place the corporate is predicated.
“Uber’s whole business model is predicated on giving people a safe ride home, but rider safety was never their concern – growth was, at the expense of their passengers’ safety,” mentioned lawyer Adam Slater, whose agency represents about 550 plaintiffs. “While the company has acknowledged this crisis of sexual assault in recent years, its actual response has been slow and inadequate, with horrific consequences.”
Uber mentioned it couldn’t touch upon the particular pending litigation, however famous that it has rolled out quite a few options designed to enhance rider security.
“Sexual assault is a horrific crime and we take every single report seriously,” an Uber spokesperson mentioned. “There is nothing more important than safety, which is why Uber has built new safety features, established survivor-centric policies, and been more transparent about serious incidents.”
The newer security options embody: the power for riders to name or textual content 911 by the Uber app; RideCheck to monitor if a visit has gone off-course or if maybe a crash has occurred; GPS monitoring; and background checks on drivers.
The firm says final yr it additionally began sharing info with its rideshare rival Lyft about drivers who’ve been deactivated from the platform for questions of safety.
Copyright © 2022 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.