Ride-sharing company Uber is at the center of a large-scale lawsuit in which at least 554 female passengers accuse the brand of failing to prevent violence against riders on its platform. At least 150 other cases are being investigated for possible inclusion in this lawsuit.

The lawsuit was filed in San Francisco County Superior Court last Wednesday by attorney Adam Slater of Slater Slater Shulman. The heart of the lawsuit accuses Uber of failing to protect passengers who were subjected to violent acts including sexual harassment, rape, sexual battery, false imprisonment, and stalking.

After the lawsuit was filed, Slater detailed in a statement, "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."

The lawsuit contends that the ride-sharing company did not do all that it could to protect female passengers who used the app. Slater contends that Uber has acknowledged the rise of sexual harassment and assault against passengers, but the company's response has been “slow and inadequate, with horrific consequences.”

The lawsuit was brought forward after five women across the nation reported their stories of sexual assault, battery, and rape. The women are not named in the lawsuit, but their experience and the date of their assault are detailed.

One of the female defendants in the suit recounted her harrowing sexual assault to the New York Post. She details how her Uber driver convinced her to sit in the front seat and then attempted to sexually assault her. After she contacted Uber and reported her experience, the company blocked her account and did not refund her the ride fee.

The lawsuit reflects the allegations made by the sexual assault survivor who shared her story. The complaint alleges that Uber knew that sexual predators were driving for the platform as far back as 2014, but did little to protect riders who used the service. Despite allegedly knowing that certain drivers posed a danger to female passengers, Uber did not move forward with proper safety precautions to help deter the assaults, rapes, and kidnappings from taking place.

Uber has pushed back against the claims made in the suit and has gone as far as releasing its safety report that was conducted in 2020. According to Uber’s report, 2020 saw 141 reports of rape and a total of 998 incidents involving sexual assault. The report also detailed that between 2019 and 2020, there were at least 3,824 reported incidences of sexual assault ranging from "non-consensual kissing of a non-sexual body part" to "non-consensual sexual penetration."

The law firm representing the women details that the company could be more proactive in its approach to safety. Slater highlighted that measures that could deter assault include requiring cameras to be installed inside Uber vehicles. The law firm also suggests that establishing a more robust background check would allow passengers to know that they are not with a potentially dangerous driver.

The company's initiation of a $1 safety surcharge for riders has also been criticized. In April 2014, the company began charging a $1 Safe Ride fee in an effort to bolster its safety program. The program, which included driver training, vehicle inspections, and background checks, has been scrutinized for simply being a money grab and not doing enough to protect passengers. The company collected an estimated $500 million with this safety surcharge fee.

Uber responded to the allegations with a statement outlining its concerns over safety and the company's initiatives to help improve it. “There is nothing more important than safety,” a spokesperson for the company shared, “which is why Uber has built new safety features, established survivor-centric policies, and been more transparent about serious incidents.”