Tell Uber: Believe survivors. Stop sexual assaults.

The petition to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, Director of Product Management, Privacy, Equity & Safety Products Zach Singleton, and the Board of Directors reads:

Uber has a serious sexual assault and misconduct problem. We urge you to adopt policies and practices that focus on prevention and accountability, including:

• Believing drivers and riders who report sexual harassment, assault, or any form of sexual misconduct.
• Conducting timely investigations of incidents and publicly sharing trends.
• Mandating an annual sexual misconduct prevention training for all drivers.
• Banning drivers and riders who have sexual misconduct records or with reports of sexual misconduct against them.

Anyone who self-identifies as a woman, or a non-binary or gender-expansive person can relate to the fear of going out alone at night. While taking an Uber feels safer than walking home alone, we still don't feel 100% secure. 

And we aren't wrong to feel this way.

The New York Times once again just validated our worst fears in an explosive report about Uber's pervasive sexual assault and misconduct problem: Almost every eight minutes on average, between 2017 and 2022, Uber received a report of sexual assault or sexual misconduct, typically reported by women riders or drivers.

From 2017 to 2022, a total of 400,181 Uber trips in the United States resulted in reports of sexual assault and sexual misconduct.

It's outrageous that it took the Times's reporting to bring these abuses to light. Uber can and must take action to protect women riders and drivers!