In late 2025, a major investigative report in The New York Times shed new light on serious safety concerns involving Uber rideshare services nationwide. While rideshare platforms have transformed how millions of people travel, this reporting highlights risks that every passenger should understand.
What the Reporting Revealed
Journalists reviewed internal court filings and sealed documents that showed Uber received hundreds of thousands of reports of sexual violence or misconduct on its platform between 2017 and 2022—far more than the company publicly acknowledged in its own safety disclosures. According to these findings, on average, a report of sexual misconduct within an Uber ride was logged about every eight minutes over that six-year period.
These raw figures tell a story very different from Uber’s public statements about safety. For example, Uber’s official safety reports noted just over 12,000 cases of serious sexual assault or misconduct for the same span of years, figures that officials characterized as a tiny fraction of total trips. The discrepancy between internal reports and public disclosures has prompted heightened scrutiny from lawmakers and the public alike.
Why This Matters for Passengers
These revelations don’t just reflect numbers on a page—they underscore real, serious issues with rideshare safety systems, background screening, and reporting transparency. Federal investigations and state probes have been launched in response to the reporting, with lawmakers demanding clearer explanations about Uber’s internal safety data and its efforts to protect riders.
While incidents of violent crime remain rare relative to the total number of rides, they can have profound and lasting consequences for survivors and their families.
Industry-Wide Safety Context
The safety challenges highlighted in the Uber reporting are not unique to one company. Independent reviews by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) have noted that data collected by ride-hailing companies underrepresents the number of violent incidents involving drivers and passengers, complicating regulatory oversight.
Academic studies also suggest that gig platforms like Uber face inherent safety challenges when they lack robust, standardized processes for categorizing and responding to reports of serious harm.
Steps Uber Has Taken and Their Limits
In recent years, Uber has introduced multiple safety tools in response to public pressure and litigation, including in-app emergency assistance, improved trip monitoring, and options for rider preferences. However, critics argue that these measures have come after years of suppressed or limited transparency and are insufficient without more systemic protections.
The reporting also touched on debate around policies like gender-based matching (letting female riders opt for female drivers), which have been introduced to respond to safety concerns but which in turn have sparked controversy and legal challenges as well.
What This Means for Riders
If you live New York and regularly use rideshare services, the lessons here are clear:
- Stay informed about your options. Use trusted apps’ safety features, like sharing trip details with someone you trust or starting emergency help directly in the app.
- Know the limits of company reporting. Corporate safety disclosures may not reflect the full scope of reported wrongdoing by drivers.
- Document anything concerning. Keeping screenshots, ride receipts, and detailed notes can be invaluable if you decide to report an incident to authorities or pursue civil remedies.
Legal Rights After a Safety Incident
In addition to reporting to police, New York state law allows individuals harmed during travel, including rideshare trips, to seek accountability through the civil justice system when a company’s negligence or failure to implement adequate safety measures contributes to serious harm. A personal injury attorney with experience in transportation and rideshare cases can help clarify your rights and options based on the specific facts of your situation.
If you’ve been affected by a rideshare-related assault, don’t face it alone. Contact us today to learn how we can help.