SAN FRANCISCO — An Uber transparency report released by the company has uncovered a disturbing crime statistic tied to its ride-share business.
According to NBC News, Uber received 235 reports of rape occurring during a ride in the past year - about 4 a week.
The company has been heavily scrutinized over a flood of lawsuits from riders who alleged they were sexually assaulted by drivers.
NBC News reports that numbers in the 84-page report not only show 235 reports of rape in 2018 but also 229 in 2017.
Reports of attempted rape were also in the 300 range in both years - though slightly down in 2018 to 280.
The company received 1,560 reports of groping in 2018, up from 1,440 in 2017.
It also received reports of unwanted "kissing to the breast, buttocks or mouth" - 376 reports in 2018 and 390 in 2017. Reports of kissing of other body parts was up to 594 cases in 2018 from 570 in 2017.
"Each of those incidents represents an individual who has undergone a horrific trauma," Uber's chief legal officer Tony West told NBC News. "But I’m not surprised by those numbers. And I’m not surprised because sexual violence is just much more pervasive in society than I think most people realize."
The company that riders were the accused party in 45 percent of the reports filed. West said the company felt it was their responsibility to release the number while also saying that this didn't represent the majority of its trips which he said were roughly 4 million a day or 45 a second.
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