A study that considers emerging trends in rideshare-related sexual assault cases.

In 2024, there were an estimated 11.3 billion Uber trips in the U.S. This figure represents the total number of completed rides organized through the Uber platform.

According to study data, in the same year, the U.S. ride-sharing market was worth more than $120.84 billion. Yet there’s a significant downside to rideshare business success: thousands of rideshare sexual assault victims.

Between 2021 and 2022, Uber reported 2,717 individual reports of sexual assault, with the vast majority of victims being service users.

This study will look closely at the data regarding rideshare sexual assault patterns to discover consistent factors inherent in reported cases. We’ll also look at how rideshare drivers are vetted prior to taking the wheel and following an assault conviction, and what might be done in the future to prevent potential rideshare sexual assault victims.

When we look at the number of pending cases, it’s clear that it’s an urgent issue.

Uber Rideshare Assault Cases

As of July 2025, there were 2,359 sexual assault lawsuits pending in federal multidistrict litigation against rideshare company Uber, slightly down from June figures (2,378 cases).

Presiding over the multiple lawsuits, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer rejected some fraud and product liability claims, including those suggesting that Uber’s app failed to prevent high-risk pairings of riders and passengers, but upheld the remainder.

After an initial round of 79 lawsuits in October 2023, there was a further huge surge of 878 additional lawsuits in September 2024, with 283 cases added in April 2025, and a further 190 added in July 2025. The first Uber sex abuse trial will get underway in December 2025.

According to a July 2025 Reuters article, rideshare passengers suggested that Uber ‘Designated Driver’ advertisements, which promoted the rideshare company as a safe alternative to drunk driving, were misleading.

The passengers went on to suggest that the Uber ads in question should have carried a warning alerting passengers that intoxicated people, especially women and especially late at night, face a significant risk of sexual assault by drivers.

The passengers also said that app notifications featuring Uber driver names, photos, and ‘star ratings’ should also include any prior misconduct or criminal convictions.

Uber’s safety report suggests that assault numbers are generally in decline. From 5,981 assaults between 2017 and 2018, the number fell to 3,824 between 2019 and 2020, and fell again to 2,717 between 2021 and 2022.

Assault claim numbers have stabilized since 2022. Yet thousands of rideshare assault victims are still thousands too many. And of the thousands of yearly victims of rideshare assault, who are the victims, and who are the perpetrators?

Key Rideshare Assault Pattern Data

Rideshare Assault Statistics

Both Uber riders and drivers report sexual assault incidents on the rideshare platform. Rideshare assaults most often occur late at night while victims are intoxicated or traveling alone – factors repeatedly reinforced by academic reports on the subject.

Of all recorded assault incidents over the time-period in question:

68% were reported against drivers, with most accused drivers typically male and aged between 30–45 years old
31% were reported against riders
1% were reported against a third party.

When it comes to Uber-related reports of non–consensual sexual penetration, with the rider the victim in the majority of cases:

89% of victims were women, the largest proportion of whom were 18-29 years old
8% of victims were men

So, over two-thirds of perpetrators were Uber drivers, and almost nine out of ten victims were women. Let’s consider some additional key data points to broaden our understanding of rideshare sexual assault lawsuits.

In 51% of cases, Uber riders were accused of non–consensual kissing of a non sexual body part, with drivers subject to 48% of accusations.

Regarding non–consensual touching of a sexual body, 40% of riders and 1% of third parties were the accused, while the vast majority of the accused – 59% – were drivers.

Of those accused of non–consensual kissing of an asexual body, 16% were Uber service users, and 84% Uber drivers.

87% of those accused of attempted non–consensual sexual penetration were drivers, 11% of the accused were riders, and 2% of the accused were third parties.

7% of Uber riders and 3% of third parties were accused of non–consensual sexual penetration; a staggering 90% of Uber drivers were also accused.

Uber Fatalities

Although Uber reports suggest that incidents of assault have gradually lowered, there was an increase in fatal physical assaults between 2021 and 2022. During that period, 61% of victims were Uber drivers, while 39% were riders. In nearly half of reported fatalities, the accused was a third party (neither a rider nor a driver using the Uber platform).

A quick assessment of the available data tells us that, in the vast majority of cases, the chief perpetrators by far are Uber drivers, with women the overwhelming majority of victims.

For a fuller perspective, let’s now consider another rideshare platform.

Lyft Rideshare Assault Statistics

According to Lyft’s Safety Report for 2020 to 2022, the platform provided 1.41 billion rides during that period, 337 million fewer than during 2017 to 2019.

During this period, the rideshare platform was subject to 2,651 overall accusations regarding the five most serious categories of sexual assault (a 21% decrease from previous report numbers).

Between the 2017 and 2022 period, Lyft rideshare services were subject to the following sexual assault accusations.

Between 2017 and 2019, there were 4,158 sexual assault accusations, including:

672 claims of non-consensual kissing of a non-sexual body part; 2300 claims of non-consensual touching of a sexual body part; 506 claims of non-consensual kissing of a sexual body part; 320 claims of attempted non-consensual sexual penetration; and 360 claims of non-consensual sexual penetration.

Of 899 claims in 2020:

112 were for non-consensual kissing of a non-sexual body part; 450 were for non-consensual touching of a sexual body part; 121 were for non-consensual kissing of a sexual body part; 110 were for attempted non-consensual sexual penetration; and 106 were for non–consensual sexual penetration.

Of 714 claims in 2021:

56 were for non-consensual kissing of a non-sexual body part; 417 were for non-consensual touching of a sexual body part; 60 were for non-consensual kissing of a sexual body part; 57 were for attempted non-consensual sexual penetration; and 124 were for non-consensual sexual penetration.

Of 1038 claims in 2022:

97 were for non-consensual kissing of a non-sexual body part; 615 were for non-consensual touching of a sexual body part; 117 were for non-consensual kissing of a sexual body part; 74 were for attempted non-consensual sexual penetration; and 135 were for non-consensual sexual penetration.

While 4 of the 5 sexual assault categories were subject to falling accusation numbers between 2017 and 2022, attempted non-consensual sexual penetration decreased by just 7%; critically, non-consensual sexual penetration attacks significantly increased by 26%.

So, while less serious assaults appear to be in decline, the most serious category of assaults underwent a sharp rise, as did rideshare fatalities.

Lyft Fatalities

On the Lyft rideshare platform between 2020 and 2022, there were 111 motor vehicle fatalities, a 31% increase from previous report figures.

And while there were 10 fatal physical assaults between 2017 and 2019, there were 23 between 2020 and 2022, a 185% rise, with some of the nation’s larger states bearing the brunt of that spike.

Rideshare Assault Hotspot States

According to a 2024 United States Government Accountability Office report into the issue, California, Texas, Florida, and New York consistently report higher rates of rideshare-related assaults.

This is perhaps unsurprising, as all states feature both high rideshare usage and high population density. Study data also notes that, while some federal databases track assaults, there’s still a lack of comprehensive state-by-state breakdowns due to inconsistent reporting.

Clearly, there’s still plenty to do to safeguard rideshare users – including more diligence around driver checks.

The Changes Still Needed For Safer Rideshare Services

As things stand, some rideshare driver background checks are mandatory. For example, earning more than three minor driving violations in the past three years, like speeding or running red lights, should (according to guidelines both companies in question follow) disqualify you from Uber or Lyft driving roles.

Neither rideshare company will accept a driver who has committed a violent crime, sexual offense, or terrorism-related offense, nor a driver who has committed an especially egregious crime such as a hit-and-run or homicide.

Overall, though, Lyft tends to be the stricter of the two assessed rideshare providers; the company permanently rejects drivers for many felony convictions, irrespective of when they were committed, or how long ago they occurred.

Uber generally follows a seven-year rule for crimes such as fraud, drug offenses, and property damage, after which convictions are considered spent for the purposes of driver eligibility.

Despite the failsafes in place, information from the United States Government Accountability Office and follow-up academic studies highlight the fact that background checks are not as thorough as they might be.

Additionally, there’s a suggestion that rideshare providers often miss prior complaints or non-conviction records, and that providers carry out limited ongoing monitoring beyond the point at which drivers are onboarded.

Measures like Sami’s Law, introduced by President Biden, mean that rideshare companies must now issue drivers with marker identification materials so passengers can correctly identify their vehicles.

The markers must be clearly displayed on either the rear window or the front windshield area of the vehicle.

But far more needs to be done to prevent the consistent occurrence of rideshare assault, with young women in particular at disproportionate risk.

There’s a suggestion that rideshare providers often miss prior complaints or non–conviction records, and that providers carry out limited ongoing monitoring beyond the point at which drivers are onboarded.

Fake rideshare drivers are a worrying and growing trend, as a recent (July 19th) Chicago early-hours attack (the second in a few months) by an impersonating perpetrator confirms.

And rideshare companies are resistant to too much surveillance and restriction, with Uber threatening to pull out of Colorado if a rideshare safety bill is passed following an assault by a Lyft driver.

There’s also the matter of tracking offending drivers properly, with a former Uber driver, convicted of sexual assault in 2021, now revealed to have been responsible for a second victim.

It may well be time to include all prior misdemeanors when it comes to driver profiles, and better emergency safety options for at-risk passengers, who are predominantly women.

In short: rideshare companies need to do better – starting with transparency levels. Following Uber’s first safety report, the California Public Utilities Commission fined Uber $59 million for failing to turn over additional data regarding sexual assaults and harassment incidents, with Uber ultimately agreeing to pay $9 million toward safety-related initiatives.

Lyft, which released its first-ever safety report in October 2021, is notably yet to commit to future safety reports. In July 2025, the company agreed to a $25 million settlement with shareholders regarding disclosures about assault-related incidents.

Ultimately, as Uber itself says by way of concluding its own safety report, ‘Secrecy doesn’t make anyone safer. This principle has shaped Uber’s approach to safety reporting, and we have long advocated for other companies to join us in sharing safety data consistently, accurately, and transparently as part of their commitment to safety.’

Without that level of transparency – and the subsequent safety measures that can be introduced to protect rideshare passengers and drivers – rideshare options will continue to be tainted by the very real, persistent threat of sexual assault.

While less serious examples of assault are in decline, there are still far too many.

And accusations regarding the most serious category of sexual assault – in the vast majority of cases against male drivers, by women – are on the rise. If that unearthed pattern doesn’t prompt urgent change, what will?

At Chaikin Trial Group, we have a hard-earned reputation for achieving results and providing unparalleled legal services to clients with a range of injuries.

Among a range of practice areas, we cover rideshare sexual assault, so please do get in touch if you need any help or further information.