Lyft’s Long-Due Safety Report Records Over 4,000 Sexual Assault Cases

· NDTV Gadgets 360

Photo Credit: Reuters

Lyft said more than 99 percent of its journeys had occurred without any safety incident

Highlights

  • Lyft received over 4,000 sexual assault instances between 2017 and 2019
  • The company said that there was 19 percent drop in overall incident rate
  • Lyft did not disclose the total number of rides it completed

Lyft received reports of more than 4,000 instances of sexual assault on its ride-hailing platform between 2017 and 2019, it said, detailing the data in a safety report it had promised to publish about two years ago.

The company report, issued late on Thursday, showed sexual assault reports on its platform had increased from around 1,100 in 2017 to some 1,800 in 2019. But it said bookings increased at a higher rate during that time, resulting in a 19 percent drop in the overall incident rate.

Lyft said more than 99 percent of its journeys had occurred without any safety incident.

"While safety incidents on our platform are incredibly rare, we realise that even one is too many. Behind every report is a real person and real experience, and our goal is to make each Lyft ride as safe as we possibly can," Jennifer Brandenburger, head of policy development and research, said in a company blog post.

The company said it has invested in safety features, employed rigorous driver background checks and consulted sexual assault experts.

Lyft had committed to releasing its report at the end of 2019, when its larger rival Uber Technologies provided the ride-hailing industry's first detailed safety report.

Uber at the time disclosed it had received some 6,000 reports of sexual assault related to 2.3 billion trips in the United States in 2017 and 2018.

Lyft, which services significantly fewer trips than Uber, did not disclose the total number of rides it completed in its Thursday safety report, but at 0.0002 percent the incident rate was the same as Uber's.

Unlike Uber, Lyft did not disclose what share of incidents resulted in drivers being harmed. Uber's report showed riders accounted for roughly half of the accused in sexual assault reports.

© Thomson Reuters 2021

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on Twitter, Facebook, and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Further reading: Lyft, ride hailing

Jio Profit Increases 24 Percent as Reliance Recovers from Pandemic Slowdown
How Netflix’s Squid Game Reflects South Korea's Real-Life Debt Trap

Related Stories

Ride Sharing Services Add to Road Congestion, New Study Finds
26 Apr 2021
Transportation

Uber, Lyft Offer COVID-19 Vaccination for Drivers, Free Rides to Vaccine Centres for Customers
10 Apr 2021
Transportation

From Zoom to Quibi: Tech Winners and Losers of 2020
29 Dec 2020
Apps

Uber, Lyft Spend Big, Win in California Vote to Restrict Drivers From Becoming Employees
5 Nov 2020
Apps

Uber, Lyft Lose Appeal to Avoid California Labour Law; Cannot Classify Drivers as Independent Contractors
23 Oct 2020
Apps