Two women file suit against Uber in US court

Two women allegedly violated by Uber drivers have filed a law suit against Uber in a court in California.

The duo, from US, on behalf of “all other similarly situated” female passengers who have suffered “rape, sexual harassment or gender-motivated harassment at the hands of Uber drivers” have demanded action against Uber. The suit alleges that Uber has been resorting to “wilful blindness in hiring and supervising drivers”.

And that there has been “inadequate and careless background checking process” by the company, putting the safety and liberty of its female riders in peril.

The suit seeks directions to Uber to share the number of reports it has received on account of rapes, sexual assaults and gender-motivated harassment meted out to its female customers so far.

The suit contends that Uber’s message to women is “our profits over your safety and that Uber will stop at no lengths to make a profit”.

It reads “since Uber launched in 2010, thousands of female passengers have endured unlawful conduct by their Uber drivers including rape, sexual assault, physical violence and gender-motivated harassment. Recently, the number of reported sexual assaults and rapes of female passengers by male Uber drivers has sky-rocketed”.

As a result of this, it states, Uber should have made drastic changes to the way it screens and monitors drivers, as well as advancing safety measures on its App.

“This is no longer an issue of ‘rogue’ drivers who act unlawfully.

Uber has created a system for bad actors to gain access to vulnerable victims. Specifically, drivers have the means and opportunity to veer off route without detection, trap passengers inside their vehicles and commit physical and sexual violence without witnesses,” the suit reads.